Fenced in by Love (Part 1)

Photos of fences remind me of two things: Some things are kept out; other things are kept in.

I believe the LORD has fenced His people in with love.

In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, I (Dawn) want to encourage us with a truth we may not fully understand.

Psalm 121:7 says the Lord "keeps" His own.

The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. (ESV)

Other translations use the words "protect," "preserve" and "guard."

Over and over again in scripture, we see this:

• "The LORD preserves all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy" (Psalm 145:20).
• "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7).
• "The LORD protects and preserves them—they are counted among the blessed in the land—he does not give them over to the desire of their foes" (Psalm 41:2).
• "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him" (Nahum 1:7).
• "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom...." (2 Timothy 4:18).

The Psalmist, especially, cried out to God for protection and was grateful for His care. In so many scriptures, we hear: God will keep, guard, protect and lovingly preserve His own.

Yet when I look around at the world today, I see those who claim to be Christians being slaughtered on the left and right by extremist movements. It's heartbreaking.

How does this square with scripture?

We have to ask . . .

1. WHAT is the Lord keeping? Is God promising to preserve our bodies? Or is He, as we see in Psalm 97, preserving something else?

"Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 97:10).

As Matthew Henry wrote in his Concise Commentary:

"Care is taken for their (God's faithful servants') safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the wicked one, and preserve them safe to His heavenly kingdom."

Our bodies are merely shells housing precious gifts from God: eternal souls. God says He preserves the souls of His saints.

2. WHO is the Lord keeping?

Is God keeping everyone? No, He is keeping His own, those He is making holy.

The Shepherd of the sheep knows and keeps His own flock (Psalm 23; John 10:14). "... The Lord knows those who are his..." (2 Timothy 2:19); "...whoever loves God is known by God" (1 Corinthians 8:3).

Note: the Lord just as clearly says he "doesn't know" others in the same kind of personal relationship (Matthew 7:21-23). Jesus knows how to identify His own sheep. He knows those who have not trusted in Him—those who are faking it or trusting in other "shepherds."

Yes, Jesus, the Good Shepherd of the Bible, loves His sheep, and He will faithfully preserve each soul in His flock.

Tomorrow, we'll look and HOW and WHY the Lord keeps His people.

Are you part of the Good Shepherd's flock and fenced in by His great love? If you're not sure, please read this helpful post (not related to my blog).

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is the creator of three blogs:Heart Choices Today, LOL with God (with Pam Farrel), and Upgrade with Dawn. She is the Director of the San Diego chapter of Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry (NEWIM San Diego) and is a contracted researcher for Revive Our Hearts. She and her husband Bob have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Church graphic adapted from pixabay.com.