One of our family dogs sometimes growled at our guests. A friend who rescues a lot of dogs out on her farm observed, “So she has good protective instincts.” I had not thought of it that way. In my family, my oldest brother had good protective instincts. Even when we lived in tough neighborhoods, we were not afraid because we had a big brother who watched over us with fierce love.
When all seemed lost, Abram rescued and protected his nephew. After they parted ways, Abram landed by the great trees of Mamre. There a refugee from the recent war found him. In the shelter of trees and friends, Abram heard the bad news about Lot’s capture. By this time he had 318 trained men who had been born in his household. They headed out, divided, attacked, and routed the enemies. Abram and his men recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot along with his possessions, together with the other captives. When all seemed lost, nothing was lost.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would proclaim liberty to the captives (Isaiah 61:1). At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus opened the scroll of Isaiah and read, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18). Then he set about doing those very things.
Our God has great protective instincts. From time to time, all of life caves in. The trouble may come from external oppression or internal decisions. A diagnosis, or a job change, or a broken relationship threatens our well-being. Where do we turn? Run to God in prayer. Tell him the whole story. Trust that he has enough resources to rescue you. Remember when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God found a way to save us by sending his only Son to die on the cross for us. Just when all seemed lost, nothing was lost. We are not lost, because Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Like Lot, we have been found.
