How Does God Preserve Us?

The age-old question of how God protects and sustains His faithful has puzzled believers for centuries. In a world filled with suffering and evil, it can be hard to comprehend how an all-powerful and loving God actively preserves His people.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: God preserves us through His divine providence, the Holy Spirit, angels, answered prayer, and the community of believers.

In this comprehensive article, we will explore the biblical and theological evidence for how God preserves His children. We will examine God’s sovereignty, the role of spiritual forces like angels and the Holy Spirit, the power of prayer, and the importance of Christian fellowship for divine protection and provision.

God’s Sovereignty and Providence

God Is Completely in Control

As Christians, we believe that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present. This means He is sovereign over everything that happens in the universe He created. Nothing catches God by surprise or thwarts His purposes.

Even when bad things happen to us, God is still in control working them for our good (Romans 8:28). As Joseph told his brothers who had betrayed him, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

God’s sovereignty is incredibly comforting because it means that even when life feels out of control, we can trust that God holds everything in His hands. We don’t have to panic or try to control every detail.

Instead, we can rest in the fact that the all-powerful Creator of the universe cares for us and has a plan that cannot be stopped.

God Works Through Natural Laws and Human Choices

Even though God is sovereign, He often works through natural laws and allows human free will rather than overriding them. For example, God could send rain whenever a drought threatens crops, but instead He set up natural laws of evaporation and precipitation.

God could prevent all human evil, but He gives us a choice whether or not to follow Him. That means droughts will still happen, and people will still choose to sin at times. But God seamlessly incorporates natural laws and human choices into His sovereign plan.

When we understand this, we don’t get angry at God when we experience natural disasters or when people harm us. We recognize that God incorporates these realities into His plan in ways we cannot fully grasp.

We also have an increased urgency to pray because we know that God works through our requests rather than replacing our role. God invites us to participate with Him as He wisely accomplishes His purposes in the world.

God Has a Plan for Our Lives

If God is sovereign, that means He also has an individual plan for each of our lives down to the smallest details. The Bible says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).

God ordained all our days and wrote them in His book even before we were born! That means every moment of our lives is part of God’s purpose and plan if we are following Him.

This truth gives us great comfort and confidence. No matter what job we have, what ministry we’re part of, or what relationships we’re in, we can rest assured that God intentionally placed us there for a reason.

Our specific location, family, talents, and personality are all ingredients God mixed together to accomplish His individual will for us. As we walk in close fellowship with God, we can trust Him to guide us each step of the way into the awesome life story He wrote for us before time began.

The Holy Spirit Guards and Guides Us

The Spirit Convicts Us of Sin

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in showing us our sin and need for a Savior. As Jesus said, “When He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). The Spirit enlightens our minds to understand God’s truth and see ourselves as we really are – sinners in need of grace (Ephesians 1:18).

For example, one may realize their selfishness hurts others or their lies contradict God’s commands. This conviction leads us to repentance and fuels our desire for God’s forgiveness and help to change.

Though painful at times, the Spirit’s conviction is ultimately for our good, steering us away from destructive paths.

The Spirit Produces Fruit in Believers

The Holy Spirit develops Christlike virtues within believers, described as the “fruit of the Spirit” – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Rather than trying to manufacture these qualities by self-effort, they blossom naturally as we yield to the Spirit’s work in us.

For instance, though we cannot simply will ourselves to have joy, as we walk in step with the Spirit and set our minds on Christ, He fills us supernatural joy that transcends our circumstances (John 15:11). This fruit nourishes us spiritually and blesses those around us.

It is also evidence that the Spirit dwells within us, confirming our relationship with God as His children.

The Spirit Intercedes for Us

Amazingly, Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit Himself prays for believers, bringing our needs before God the Father and interceding on our behalf. As Romans 8:26-27 (ESV) says:

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

“

What an incredible blessing that even our prayers are supplemented by the Spirit’s divine petitions which perfectly accord with God’s will! This allows our prayers to align with God’s plans, providing us help and strength.

No matter our weakness, ignorance, or uncertainty in prayer, the Spirit lifts these burdens, pleading for us and protecting us.

Angels Are Ministering Spirits

Angels Bring Messages from God

Angels have been described in the Bible as messengers sent by God to deliver important announcements. For example, the archangel Gabriel brought the good news of Jesus’ birth to Mary in Luke 1:26-38. Angels also assisted in making revelations to prophets, such as helping Daniel understand his visions in Daniel 8:15-26.

There are over 100 references to angels communicating God’s messages in the Bible. It’s awe-inspiring to think of these powerful spiritual beings being dispatched from heaven to earth on divine assignments.

Angels Offer Protection

Angels look after believers in times of danger. Psalm 91:11 states “He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” There are many examples in the Bible where God sent angels to protect His people, such as sending angels to shut the mouths of lions when Daniel was thrown into their den (Daniel 6:22).

Angels even watch over little children according to Matthew 18:10. How comforting to know these heavenly protectors watch over us and can be dispatched at any time to deliver us from harm.

Angels Do Battle in the Heavenly Realms

The Bible describes angels fighting spiritual battles on behalf of God’s people. For instance, Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the king of Aram’s forces in 2 Kings 6:15-17. When Elisha’s servant feared, Elisha prayed that God would open the servant’s eyes.

Instantly, the servant saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha. These were warrior angels deployed to protect them. Genesis 32:1-2 also tells of an angelic army meeting Jacob on his return to Canaan.

What an amazing truth that angelic armies are fighting for us against demonic forces in ways mostly unseen to us (Daniel 10:12-14).

As this overview shows, angels are an incredible provision of God’s care for us. From communicating divine messages, to protecting, to unseen warfare on our behalf – angels are ministering spirits bringing help from heaven.

When we are in need, be encouraged that these unseen friends surround you and work for your good.

Answered Prayer Connects Us to God’s Power

God Hears Our Cries

When we are hurting or in need, one of the most comforting truths is that God hears our cries. The Bible tells us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He knows our pain and sorrows.

When we pour out our hearts to Him in prayer, He listens with compassion and cares deeply about what concerns us (1 Peter 5:7).

For example, in Exodus 2, the Israelites cried out to God because of their slavery in Egypt. He heard their groaning and was concerned about their suffering. In response, God sent Moses to deliver them from bondage.

This example shows us that God does not ignore our distress but is moved to act when His children call to Him.

God Moves in Response to Prayer

Not only does God hear and care about our troubles, but He also responds and moves into action when we pray. Through heartfelt prayer, we can actually tap into the power of God. Ephesians 3:20 assures us that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power at work within us.

There are many examples in the Bible that demonstrate God’s power in response to prayer. In 2 Kings 20, King Hezekiah was mortally ill, but after he prayed, God healed him and added 15 years to his life.

In the New Testament, we read about Peter being imprisoned until the church prayed fervently for him, and he was miraculously freed by an angel (Acts 12:1-17). These accounts show us that when we align our requests with God’s will, He delights in displaying His strength to meet those needs.

Prayer Strengthens Our Faith

As we continue to bring our cares and petitions to our Heavenly Father, we will see Him working time and time again. Our faith is strengthened each time God demonstrates His power, love and faithfulness in answering our prayers according to His perfect will and timing.

James 5:16 assures us that the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. As we develop a dynamic prayer life, we will experience more of God’s miraculous hand at work.

Our trust in Him will deepen as we witness Him intervening and impacting lives in ways only He can. This ongoing cycle of prayer and answered prayer builds our faith exponentially.

The Church Provides Spiritual Support

Fellow Believers Offer Encouragement

As part of the body of Christ, fellow believers can provide incredible encouragement and support during difficult times (Hebrews 10:25). Whether through prayer, counsel, or simply a listening ear, Christian brothers and sisters can remind us of God’s promises and give us strength to press on.

For example, small groups and bible studies create opportunities for vulnerably sharing struggles and declaring Scripture over one another. This builds deep bonds and helps Christians feel connected. Additionally, ministries like Celebrate Recovery use mentorship and accountability to help people find freedom from issues like addiction.

The power of the church community bringing hope and restoration is profound.

The Church Disciplines in Love

Even when we stumble into sin, the church offers redemptive discipline rather than condemnation (Galatians 6:1-2). This may involve correction, restriction of ministry involvement for a season, or even removal from membership – but the purpose is always to lovingly facilitate repentance and restoration.

For instance, leadership may lovingly confront a member about a public sin and walk with them on a path of healing. This protects the church’s witness and helps the individual turn from damaging behaviors to find new life in Christ.

Though painful, biblical discipline flows out of genuine love and care for the soul.

Serving Others Demonstrates God’s Grace

Within the church, there are also abundant opportunities to live out Jesus’ command to serve one another (John 13:14). Whether greeting newcomers, providing meals for a sick family, or cleaning the church building itself – acts of service allow us to share God’s grace practically.

Servant-heartedness may involve signing up to assist with children’s ministry during services, joining a committee to execute outreach events, or even traveling overseas for intensive missionary work. As we give of ourselves, we learn more of God’s selfless character.

We also grow closer to other believers as we labor together for Kingdom purposes.

Conclusion

In closing, Scripture clearly teaches that God faithfully preserves His people through His divine providence and spiritual forces like the Holy Spirit and angels. He also uses prayer and Christian community to protect and mature believers.

While suffering remains a mystery this side of eternity, we can trust that God has good purposes for everything He allows and will never forsake those who love Him.