166. The Everlasting Arms
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee: and shall say, Destroy them.
The promise of God is that He will be our refuge; He promises to hold us up with His eternal arms; He promises to cast out the enemy from our presence. These three promises are similar, and they are repeated often in the Scriptures.
The eternal God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We are bound by time and space, and sometimes we feel pressed by time and crowded by space. But God is eternal, beyond the restrictions of time and space. He can do anything, anywhere, and always at the right time. In Him we have a refuge into which we may flee, that is, by faith in Christ we are safe from the marauding enemies, the evil powers around us, and our own self-destructive selfish nature. We hide in His stronghold for safety and comfort, love and care, protection and blessing.
God’s everlasting arms are always underneath us to lift us up and hold us up all the time, but we especially need to know this is true when we feel like we are falling, reeling, or spinning out of control. His strong arms hug us close to Himself when we need a tender touch, a loving caress, a kind and thoughtful whisper. The strong arms of Jesus are eternal so we may know they are always there. We are ever in the palm of His hands and nothing can snatch us out.
The Devil prowls around us like a roaring lion, seeking to devour. One little word can fell him, and he will flee from us. Sin is crouching at the door, waiting for the right moment to pounce and make life miserable. Death is never very far away from us, taking away loved ones and causing us “little deaths” daily in body and emotions. The promise is that Jesus will thrust them out from us, not just drive them away, but thrust with a quick and powerful force. They think they can rise up and keep coming back to steal, kill, and destroy, but our strong Shepherd Warrior is always there with us to thrust the Enemy away again, until one day the enemies are cast into the lake of fire never to bother us again. This eternal God is our God. Yahweh, the great I AM, always is. We are ever safe, comforted, and protected. Thank God for the promises we can’t even see.