Covered By Christ
[Jesus said,] Abide in me, and I in you.
John 15:4
Personal salvation is not merely an occasional rendezvous with Deity; it is an actual dwelling with God. Christianity is not just an avocation; it is a lifelong, eternity-long vocation. David, thrilled with the knowledge that his life was in God, said in Psalm 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
If you read and reread this beautiful Psalm, you will discover that in Him we have a permanent abode and residence, and that all of the comfort, security, and affection the human heart craves are found in Him.
Modern psychiatrists say that one of the basic needs of man is security. In this Psalm we are assured that in God we have the greatest of security: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways” (Psalm 91:10–11).
Many years ago in China, two Christian missionaries were undergoing a bitter persecution. One night as they were getting ready to retire, they heard the sound of voices outside the compound. They lifted the blinds to find their home surrounded with belligerent men who had gathered there to terminate the couple’s ministry.
The missionary husband and wife, realizing that God was their only refuge, dropped on their knees and prayed for those who would harm them, and reminded God that He had promised to be with them even unto the end. When they arose from their knees, they noticed that the crowd was dispersing, and the excited murmuring of the departing mob indicated that something unusual had happened. The missionaries thanked God for answered prayer and retired. The next morning as the sun cast its rays upon the compound, a native Christian came to the door and begged an audience with me.
“Do you know why the mob did not kill you last night?” he asked. “Our God answered prayer,” replied the missionary. “Yes,” said the native man. “When you were on your knees last night, four creatures like angels dressed in robes of white appeared, and one stood at each corner of your house. The mob trembled and fled, and we Christians who stood helpless in the crowd knew that once more God had intervened.”
Our Father and our God, I run to You for shelter from my enemy, Satan. He stalks me day and night and wants to tear me away from You. Close me in, O Lord, with You, Keep me safe from spiritual harm. Be a city of refuge for me where I am surrounded and covered by Jesus Christ, my Savior, in whose name and power I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).