The Lord will keep you from all harm—
He will watch over your life; Psalm 121:7

I’ve been gone for a while. I’ve taken a lengthy break from writing to seek what the Lord would have of me. Is it to continue this church blog or is it to write something entirely different? I wish I had a definitive answer. The Lord didn’t answer me in a dream. I had no Word saying either Nay or Yay. Instead, He gently reminded me to trust Him in all things, especially in my heart’s desires.

I’ve also been gone on vacation. Dan and I flew to Florida for beautiful sunshine, 80 degree weather, palm breezes around the pool and the beach. I’ve gotten my ocean fix, whether it is the Oregon Coast, New York shoreline or now Florida. Previously, I’ve never wanted to go to Florida because only “old people” vacationed there. Ahem and note to self: Guess what. You’ve arrived and qualify!

We rented a car and explored central Florida around Orlando from Tampa to St. Augustine, putting on 1,000 miles during the trip. Because it was Presidents’ Day Weekend – and the start of Florida’s infamous spring vacations – the congestion and traffic were mind numbing, like the day we crawled along 75 miles of bumper to bumper traffic to the Gulf coast beach areas. I’ll never complain about Boise traffic again – well, until I do. Despite the snarled highways and aggressive drivers, we had no accidents, no fender benders or bumps on the road. Despite not being familiar with Florida, we didn’t get lost or run out of gas. In all, we were kept safe. The operative word to me is kept. God’s grace protected us.

In our lifetime together Dan and I have literally traveled by car enough miles to circumvent the globe several times and in all those miles we’ve been almost accident free. That is amazing to me! How is that even possible? Almost every day don’t we strap ourselves into a 3,500 pound steel box on wheels, race alongside behemoth sized trucks at high speed in all kinds of weather and never give it a thought? We somehow trust that the car and good sense will get us safely to our destination. We board giant airplanes, hang in the stratosphere to cruise at 35,000 feet altitude, trusting strangers in the cockpit to safely navigate both air and land. We blindly trust cars and planes and those who pilot them when so much can – and often does go wrong. Yet, we balk at trusting a loving God with Whom everything can and does go 100% the right way, according to His will.

Like the psalmist, I believe that only the God keeps us from harm and protects every step as we travel on. Trusting anyone or anything less than the Name of the Lord is foolish. I have seen this in my personal circumstances. When I trust God above all else in the most difficult times, He protects just like He promises.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

Today technology wants our unquestioning reliance and trust, but like horses and chariots, its promises are unpredictable. God is faithful to every promise in His Word. Today whom will you trust? At the cross roads will it be iron and steel? Will it be a person at the helm of your life? Or will you trust the One who actually keeps His Word and keeps you from all harm?