Prayers For Protection

This is Hans Schile from the Finishing Well Podcast.

On Finishing Well, we help you make godly choices about Medicare, long-term care, and your money. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the Truth Podcast Network.

This is the Truth Network. Encouraging Prayer. God offers an open invitation for His people to talk with Him at any time about anything. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the bestselling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.

And now, here's James. Well, today on Encouraging Prayer, we're going to talk about prayers for protection. You know, I love this topic because it's so practical. I mean, we really need to learn how to do this, whether you're riding in the car, kind of my thing, or doing a dangerous job, or really just living today.

You know what I mean? Yeah, that's so true. I think we're all more aware of the dangers that we face every day now, whether it's from something as small as a virus or as large as a war. And this is important because prayers for protection are about so much more than wishful thinking. It's not about the self-soothing or anything like that.

They matter. God moves through them to guard us and guide us and help us in beautiful ways. Yeah, I think about some of the psalms that are about protection, and you see how important this was to David. Like Psalm 18, the Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. Or Psalms 46, God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble. Or even Psalm 91, because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him.

Yeah, all those are great. Psalm 91, that's an incredible reminder of God's protection, and we need to remember that God put these in his word because he wants us to ask. And this is a good habit to have. You know, my wife and I do it whenever we take a road trip or fly or take the train, and even so, there's so many times where I think, you know, I could do this more than I do. Oh yeah, I know what you mean. I mean, it's not that God won't watch over us if we don't, you know, but of course he does.

But we don't want to be in the habit of not asking either, really. Yeah, yeah, that's exactly right. You know, someone who was a great example of this was Patrick. Do you mean Saint Patrick of Ireland? That's the guy, Meganus Succotus Patricius.

Really? That was his name when he was a boy. He was the son of a wealthy Roman official. You know, that was before he was kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave into Ireland. Ah, not exactly the luck of the Irish.

No, not at all. And later when God helped him escape Ireland some years after that, God then called him back to Ireland to preach the good news of Jesus. And he didn't want to go. Then when he went, you can imagine the local druid priests weren't exactly happy about it. No, I'm sure they weren't. I mean, didn't they practice things like human sacrifice and really even cannibalism? Those are the guys. I was just reading last night in the National Geographic about how they even, I mean, they've just discovered how they practiced human sacrifice on a massive scale at times. And the Romans talked about just how brutal these guys were.

Yeah, not exactly the guys you'd want as your enemies. I mean, no wonder Patrick prayed for protection. There's a great story about that, too. The druids had required that all outdoor fires be put out as part of the spring equinox, you know, they wanted everything dark.

And I think that kind of sums it up, you know, I'm curious, really speaking. But here's Patrick, he's lighting a huge bonfire and standing right beside it. I kind of imagine him like singing and dancing in front of it, I don't know. But he's doing this to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. So of course, he gets mobbed by the druids, and his life is spared, but he gets hauled before the authorities. He then preaches the gospel to everyone there, and some believe, and then the druids want to kill him all the more.

Wow. So do you know some prayers he prayed? Well, yeah, absolutely. He prayed Ephesians six, I mean, the armor of God. And that passage talks about the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness, all of these things we know. But because Patrick was also a poet, he took that passage and he turned it into his own kind of prayer that was specific to his situation. And you may have heard of it, it's called the breastplate of St. Patrick.

And, you know, I'm not sure he would have liked that title so much, because really, he'd want more of the emphasis on Jesus. Yeah, I have heard that prayer. John Eldridge loves it. It's beautiful. Yeah, it is. It's also actually a hymn based on the prayer that starts with the words, I bind unto myself today, the strong name of the Trinity, and then it goes on, part of it is Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. So you really can see where his emphasis was. Yeah, it's pretty comprehensive. Yeah, it is. And it's all about Jesus.

And he's just getting started. The original prayer is much longer. It includes things like, I rise today through God's strength to pilot me, God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me.

And it goes on to talk about protection from things like natural lusts, and the wizard's evil craft, and poisoned arrows, and more, all of these things that Patrick would have dealt with. Wow, amazing. What that shows you is his life was so in touch with God, right? So dedicated that really he was praying about everything.

Yeah, that's exactly it. That's what we want to grow into, isn't it? And here he is, he's on a mission from God, he knows it, and don't we need to approve of our lives the same way? Yeah, we really do. You know, when we pray that way, when we ask God for protection, it really helps our hearts be at peace. It helps us rest in God and trust in him.

Yeah, it's running to our refuge. Just like you were talking about earlier with Psalm 46, God is our refuge and our strength. And ever present help and trouble, therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way. And Robbie, can you think of a time when God protected you like that? Oh man, I mean, when I was crushed by the Jeep, and my leg was almost severed, and I fell down on the ground, and I remember actually asking Jesus to help me, and I got what I call a God hug.

It just kind of covered me, and it went on for some time. I'll never ever forget it. It's like I just know he will always be there. Yeah, wow, wow. Yeah, that experience in the past helps for the future, doesn't it?

It really does. And I can think of so many times in my own life as well, like the time my mom lost control of the car on a mountain road when she was carrying me. She was pregnant.

The tow truck driver looked at the tracks and said, you shouldn't be here. Someone was looking out for you. And growing up, believe me, mom, never let me forget that. I'll bet she did, James.

You know, my mother had a similar incident going down a mountain road in Idaho when she was carrying me. But as we conclude things today, I mean, would you pray for God's protection for our listeners and that, you know, we'll be able to make a habit of praying for them? Absolutely. Let's go. Lord, we need you. Our lives are in your hands every moment of them, and we praise you that you've got us. We ask for your protection, Lord, in everything that we will do today. Keep us, Lord. Help us to stay close to you. Help us to pray in the moment and thank you. Thank you, Father, that you guard us and guide us all the way home. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.