Safety is a concept that can be understood in different ways based on how it’s used. For the most part, it refers to protection or protective gear (when used as a noun or adjective). But safety can also refer to a state of mind: that is, being far-removed from and free from worry. As violent conflicts increase globally, many of us dream of and pray for safety. Today’s Holy Nougat offers us one option.
Psalms 4:8 CEB
[8] I will lie down and fall asleep in peace because you alone, LORD, let me live in safety.
Secure in God’s Presence
When safety is a concern, humans devise different coping methods to deal with the perceived threat. In some cultures, economies are built around security to the extent that it becomes its own industry. So, metalworkers have become versed in protective grills, technology includes security-surveillance devices and also individual protection services, woodworkers specialise in coffins and caskets, developers determine how much land is available for burials, and religious leaders quickly learn what liturgies work best for funerals. None is immune from the rigours of criminal instability, and it has a trickle-down effect.
In other spaces, safety is threatened by conflict, i.e., wars. Then, humans employ other measures of defense, including retaliation, bunkers, and emergency supplies. When there is enough time for preparation, there might even be drills and other tactics to guide the community on self preservation.
Of course, safety can be threatened at home or school, or work. There, the threats are varied, and may be unintentional or premeditated. Many households carry First Aid kits, to guard against ’emergencies’, and in public buildings, such measures are mandatory, some even including regular checks and drills to guard against disasters.
Unfortunately, threats to safety can also be the work of humans, who are intentional in their malfeasance. It is not always easy to prepare for such threats. And the impact of those on the psyche, both before and after, can be devastating. There’s also an industry to mitigate against those threats to security also, although they don’t always work. Self-defense methods and security details work best when the threat is at closer range or the location is known and there’s no one between the attacker and intended victims.
Self-Check
Have you ever been responsible for safeguarding others? What effect did it have on you?
Digging Deeper
When any variable is unknown or the odds are not favourable, it can have a negative effect on one’s sleep and mental health. In that regard, our response is not very different from people in David’s time. When threats to our well-being begin to affect our rest, we must establish protective measures of our own. As humans living on earth, we are wise to invest in some precautions from our local industry. But, David teaches us that for true peace of mind, we must invest in security that never fails.
That’s where God comes in.
Our Triune God never slumbers nor sleeps and guarantees us full protection. In fact, our God is both protection and protective gear. In Psalm 46, we are assured that God is our Refuge and Strength, our refuge in troubling and troubled times. And God’s track record has been proven time and again since Creation. Just ask Cain, Moses, Miriam, Rahab, Ruth, Daniel, Peter, and Paul.
Danger came.
But God offered them peace of mind.
That’s what David wrote about.
And he wrote from personal experience. That gave him the wherewithal to say that he is free to rest unabashed despite all that surrounded him. No matter the arrows and terrors, he is able to be at peace. Therein lies our comfort.
Point to Ponder
Can we say the same as David, that we will rest because God alone, our LORD, lets us live in safety?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
