Protection is a result of closeness and intimacy with the Lord

Gospel Corner

17/07/25

Joel Osteen Ministries

Today’s Word
Today’s Scripture
I am overwhelmed by my troubles. My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats….My heart pounds in my chest….Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking.
Psalm 55:2–5, NLT

Dealing with Anxiety
David was the warrior king who defeated Goliath and led the Israelites into great victories. But in today’s Scripture, David was so overwhelmed with serious anxiety that he was shaking. Dealing with anxiety doesn’t mean that you’re weak, that you don’t have enough faith, or that you must have done something wrong. The enemy attacks you with anxiety because he knows there’s greatness in you, that you’re on the verge of seeing a new level. He’ll try to make you feel overwhelmed, fearful about the future, thinking it’s not going to work out. As with David, thoughts will tell you, “This anxiety is never going to change. You’ll always have to deal with this feeling that something is wrong.”

Don’t believe those lies. The anxiety shall pass. Sometimes God will bring you out quickly. Other times He’ll take you little by little. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see anything changing. God is working. Every day you need to declare, “I’m getting better. My mind is at peace. My heart is at rest. I am free from this anxiety.”

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that Your strength in difficult times is the source of my security. I refuse to be overwhelmed by problems because You will bring me through to victory. I declare that I am resting in the Almighty God who is greater than anything I face. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

When we read about the story of Daniel found in Daniel 6, we see that Daniel made a habit of praying three times a day. Now, depending on how established you are in God’s grace, you can interpret that as a religious routine, or you can see his dedicated prayer time as an outward expression of his intimate relationship with the Lord.

Please be clear about this. I am not saying that if we want to be protected like Daniel, we have to pray three times a day. What I am saying is that protection is a result of closeness and intimacy with the Lord.

There are no formulas, steps, or shortcuts to walking in divine protection. Simply walk close with the Lord and you will unconsciously be under the shadow of His wings.

Don’t just pursue the protection, seek the Protector! You can recite Psalm 91 fifty times a day, but if you have no relationship with Jesus, there will be no results.

The prayer of protection is not transactional; it is relational.

You’ve missed the point if you have to ask how many times a day you should pray. That is equivalent to asking your spouse, “How many times a day must I kiss you?” I wouldn’t want my wife, Wendy, to ask me that!

Relationships are birthed from the heart. They are not governed by formulas, rules, or algorithms. You kiss your spouse because of love. It is not an obligation; it is a privilege and pleasure.

In the same way, don’t mechanize your relationship with God. Every day, you can choose whether or not to meditate on His love for you. Daniel chose to do it three times a day. We can learn from that without turning it into a dry formula.

What Daniel had was an intimate relationship with the Lord. I pray that you will have this too. The Bible tells us that in his daily prayers, Daniel was always giving thanks to God.

It is so good to live with thanksgiving in your heart toward the Lord. Each and every day, there are so many things that our Lord protects us from that we are not even aware of.

Give thanks to Him for His love for you. Praise Him and set your mind daily toward Him. Be so conscious of how close you are to Him and how utterly loved you are—and enjoy the protection that comes from being found in the shadow of His wings!