For those who haven’t heard, I’m currently in Grand Forks, ND helping out with a course in Second Language Acquisition. I’m coaching 8 students in learning Arabic… and learning Arabic! It’s an exciting place to spend the summer.
One of my favorite parts of the last 3 summers here in Grand Forks is the dynamic mealtime conversations. Sometimes the “linguistics” theme rules, but often enough, people share passionately what’s on their hearts regarding how God has called them overseas. Yesterday afternoon, one of those conversations spurred me on to think more about the importance of safety.
I began studying out the theme in scripture. I found,
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run in to it and they are safe.”
Proverbs 18:10
“I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don’t be afraid.
Jeremiah 1:8
Maybe our perspective on safety is a little different than our Father’s. Over and over again in scripture, He promises safety in His arms. He promises to provide refuge in His embrace. But he never tells us to seek a safe lifestyle.
Many of God’s safety promises come with conditions – conditions about pursuing Him, trusting Him, and running to Him. His promises about safety are never conditional on seeking a good neighborhood, safe workplace, or securing our finances. The safety He talks about is found in one context: our trust in Him.
“And He led them on safely and in confident trust, so that they feared not; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.”
Psalm 78:22
He leads us on in safety, though He may not always lead is through safe places. Do you think that the Red Sea was considered a “safe” place for the Israelites? Of course not! It overwhelmed their enemies, it couldn’t have been “safe.” But for them, it was the safest place in that moment – right in the center of God’s will.
For King David, too, his perceived safety ended up being his downfall.
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 11:1
I’m sure safety was of concern for David. He felt it would be better to send someone else to the front lines – keep the king safe. But our spiritual enemy is much less concerned with our physical circumstances than he is with where our heart dwells. In fact, our most secure times may be the most dangerous:
While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly.”
1 Thessalonians 5:3
“Safety” as we know it is really not very important. What’s most important is that we step out and do what God has called us to do, finding our refuge in Him alone. I want to close with a quote I recently read about the safety of teams that are sent to reach the unreached in “dangerous” places:
“The long-term safety of our teams is ever on our minds but not primary on our hearts. Our priority is to glorify God, to proclaim the gospel boldly and widely, and allow God’s character to be formed in us. Only after all of these are attended do we consider our personal security and safety.”
What does it mean for you to find safety in Him, and not seek it in your circumstances?