Can We Feel Safe in Troubled Times?

We face danger from many directions, but we serve a God who promises to protect us. Here is a story of God’s protection in my life.

The news is filled with stories of people being hurt or killed in accidents, attacks of various types and natural disasters. With all of the potential danger we face in this world, should we live our lives in constant fear of injury or death?

In Romans 10:17 we read, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Sharing stories of God’s deliverances can help build our faith and can encourage our children too. There are many familiar examples to be found in the Bible, and other examples are unfolding every day.

I would like to share one personal story of God’s intervention for me in this blog.

An example of unrequested protection

Thirty years ago, I had an experience that illustrates the timeliness of Godʼs protection. It is there before we know we are going to need it, and often we donʼt have time to ask for it.

On this occasion, I was preparing my dinner, which included hotdogs and sauerkraut. I had recently purchased a see-through set of cookware (similar to the popular new “Visions” cookware) and decided to try it out.

I put the sauerkraut into the smaller cooking pot and had it warming on a very low flame on my gas stove. After a few minutes, I decided to lift the lid to stir the contents. As I did so, I leaned over it, holding the lid in my left hand and a wooden spoon in the other. There was no way I could expect what happened next, but it is the reason for this story.

A thousand shards of glass

All I remembered hearing was a modestly loud “P-O-P,” but in the blink of an eye, the entire glass saucepan disappeared. It was just g-o-n-e!

The sauerkraut—what little was left of it—sizzled down into the gas pan and choked out the flame, so I immediately turned the burner off. And then I looked around in amazement.

Thousands of tiny glass shards and sauerkraut were now plastered all over my kitchen. It was everywhere—from the floor to the ceiling, on top of my refrigerator and all over everything on every counter. It was one reeking mess.

There was only one place that it wasnʼt. And that was on me. None of it was on me at all. Not one piece.

Giving thanks

Cleaning my kitchen was a tediously long project, but the annoyance I felt at having to do so was tempered with the awe and gratitude I felt for the protection I had received. Among other things, since I wore contact lenses at the time and my face had been right over the pot, I knew my face and eyes could have been seriously injured from the flying glass.

There was no escaping the fact that I had been protected. Shards had fallen on the floor near my feet but had not touched my shoes. Others had flown past my hair and plastered items in the vicinity but my hair was clear of any trace.

Remembering Godʼs mercy in troubled times

Later, when I retrieved the cookware packaging from my trash can, I was embarrassed to discover some very, very small print stating that the contents were “oven-safe” but not to be used on stove tops. Who would have thought? I would henceforth read all instructions carefully before cooking anything!

Meanwhile, as heartbreaking news stories unfold before us every day, we should take whatever measures we can to safeguard ourselves. But we should never forget that, as long as we are striving to obey our God, “His hand is not shortened … that it cannot save” (Isaiah 59:1).

In Luke 21:18 we read Jesus’ promise to His faithful followers that, even in times of intense persecution, “not a hair of your head shall be lost.”

He can do it. Do we believe Him?

Nancy Diraison is an East Texas member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. Writing everything from music to blogs is her favorite occupation!