Protection

This morning, I read Psalm 91 before I start working on my sermon for Sunday Night as a devotional time. Psalm 91 is written by Moses and covers how God protects his own. Two of the verses in Psalm 91, verses 11-12, are verses that Satan twists around to tempt Jesus to jump from the top of the temple to see if God will protect him from hurting himself - to which Jesus replies that we are not to test God.
I look back in my life to see the protection that God has afforded me. I probably don't see the physical protection as much because I didn't get into those auto accidents, or have near misses to great bodily harm that I see. I do see how God, through the years of being a prodigal son, has protected me from activity that would cause me to be ineffective in any ministry or with my family. I don't know if it is a normal teenage thing, but boy, when I was 17, I would have loved to hook up with a girl and be immoral. I don't think I could have gone through with it because of the guilt associated with it, as well as the Holy Spirit prodding me to steer clear. His protection was with me.
I spent 4 years in the Navy with some rather Navy-like guys, even in a chaplain's department. For 3 of those years, I was the designated walker, staying with my friends in the bar to make sure they made it back safe, especially in foreign countries. God kept me out of the bottle and ruining my life that way. His protection was with me.
I remember walking around the United Arab Emirates by myself in the middle of the day just checking out the town of Dubai in 1994. I walked around Mazatlan by myself. I walked around Singapore, Perth, Hobart, Honolulu, Hong Kong, Ecuador, Panama City by myself numerous times. I walked in Philadelphia at ten at night through the South side looking at stuff from the Rocky movie by myself. Through all this, I was not by myself apparently. His protection was with me and kept me from harm, from being on a tape with terrorist, from getting lost (too badly) and from falling and injuring myself. God has protected me all my life, through when I was walking with him and when I was trying to run away.
Looking back at the protection God has granted me all these years, I can't help but wonder about the plans God continues to have for my life. There is more to this life for me than food, sleep and computer. I pray that God refills me, my energy, my excitement, my passion and uses me for His glory.