“For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.”
The Bible makes some audacious claims. This is one of those verses that makes me pause and make sure I’m reading it right. Recall from the past two verses that we have focused on the safety and protection God offers. Here we see some practical examples given of what that means.
That word “every” catches me — every trap? There are a lot of people out there who feel that God did not rescue them from difficult situations, yet here the Bible says that God will rescue you from every trap. So let’s think about the word “trap.” If you look up “trap” on BibleGateway.com, you will find that it is often a reference to evil or sin. So God will rescue us from evil and sin. That is the offer he is making as he seeks to protect and shelter us. This verse also mentions deadly disease. I notice it says “protect” as opposed to “heal,” meaning that it is possible there are some things we are protected from that we do not ever realize we have been protected from. On the other hand, a lot of people are dying of preventable or deadly diseases. How can this verse be true if people are still dying?
Here’s your freedom for today: God’s kingdom rights the wrongs. God does rescue us from sin and evil. He does set limits on the reaches of Satan’s earthly kingdom. God is in the restoration business. He is in the protection business. And the only things that need protection are things that are at risk or in danger. God is looking out for you today, and in his kingdom all the harm headed your way is being fought off fiercely. That does not mean Satan’s power is gone, and so we will continue to have suffering until the time that we are in the full protection of God’s kingdom as we dwell there. Until that time, we press on and thank God daily for the ways he fights for us.