1 Samuel 25:34
“For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!”

Praise be to God, who watches over us and who protects us from all evil. Praise be to God, who, in His mercy, does not treat us as we deserve but goes beyond what we deserve to ensure our well-being. Praise be to God, who helps us.

God protects us in different ways, but today, we will highlight only two ways. God protects harm from coming our way, and God protects us from harming others. Even when we do not know it, He quietly works for us in these two ways.

Look at David. In His anger, He would have done so much damage to so many lives. Although he may have felt justified by what He had planned to do, God would not have been pleased with him because his motives were wrong.

Many times, we plan things with wrong motives, and our actions create pain and problems for others. Even when we feel justified by our actions, we leave others bruised and battered. God is against this and protects us from crushing others.

In retrospect, David looked at what he had planned, and he thanked Abigail for saving him from doing evil to innocent people. Even though it was Abigail who gave him advice, David confessed that it was actually the Lord who had “kept him back.”

Look at Nabal. He was merry and drunk, feasting and rejoicing, not knowing that death was at his doorstep. David and his four hundred men were on their way to kill him and his entire household, but he had no clue. Yet, God saved him and his people.

Many times, we are like Nabal. While we eat and drink and rejoice, we have no idea that God is averting danger from us. In His great mercy, He doesn’t even let us know how much danger we actually are in. He protects us even in our foolishness.

Our God is on our side. He protects us from harming others. He protects us from others harming us. The purpose of today’s devotion is simply to bring us back to the place of worship and surrender to Him who watches over us day and night.