Craig Clouston

 

Built-in Protection

August 21

For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever…

Psalm 37:28

Eddie was fascinated by the changes he noticed in the tadpole’s roundish bodies. In just two days they’d gone from having only eyes and a tail to having four legs! “Daddy, hows come the tadpoles have legs now an’ their tails are gettin’ shorter?” he asked, mystified by this overnight phenomenon.

“Tadpoles are actually baby frogs, Eddie. They go through stages of growth called metamorphosis.”

“Meta what?” the six-year-old asked.

Josh laughed, and enunciated, “Met…a…mor…pho…sis, Eddie. It’s when something new begins to grow and other things disappear…like the tail.”

“Oh…” Eddie responded, unsure, but trying to figure it out.

“God made them that way to protect them. When they’re first born they start out swimming, and turn into frogs in about three weeks.” Josh continued to explain, “Usually they’re born in these little puddles to keep fish from eating them while they’re still small. Once they grow legs they can hop to the nearest source of water. As they go through metamorphosis, different animals want to eat them. And even though God protects them, some still get eaten by predators like weasels, mink, and large-mouth bass.”

“Look at that, Daddy!” Eddie pointed, “That one is walkin’ outta the puddle! If all them things think they taste so good, how’s it ever gonna grow up?!”

Josh thought a moment, “Do you see how he’s a different color than the younger tadpoles?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, his green skin will help him hide him in the marsh around our pond.”

“Ohhhh…that’s way cool!” Eddie said. “God is really smart! They got built-in protection!”

†

Just as God has provided protection for tadpoles, He has placed safeguards within our reach. The difference is that we, unlike the frog, have to ask for His protection. Once past our ‘tadpole stage’ we become accountable. At that point we must choose.

David’s 37^th Psalm is one of ‘either or’. We can either accept God’s built-in protection through Jesus Christ, by which we receive His righteousness and all of the promises in Psalm 37, or…we can refuse, and remain vulnerable and in constant danger, with no promise of tomorrow.

Prayer

“Lord, I need and want Your protection. Please hide me from the enemy in the righteousness of Christ. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”