The Reason Why I Sing: He is my Protector
Read time: 3 minutes
All of our lives are a journey and in some parts of that journey, we can encounter really rough terrain. My life is no different and the terrain that I encountered had caused me much grief, caused me to believe that I needed to become my own protector.
I had gotten to the place where my pain became my identity and I was hurt.
I had let my pain become my compass, my true north, my clarity. Because after all, I knew what people were capable of, what they would do and it was my job to avoid that at all costs. I arrived to a place where I needed to be in control; I needed to be the one to protect myself from others.
I was always on the defense, always waiting for someone to do something.
In the midst of all of this, God’s perfect love began to cast out my fear.
Living like this, in a place of constant pain and fear is not what God has called us to.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” – Psalm 91:14-16
It’s this idea, this reality, of God being our true protector.
I realized something:
I am not the protector but I am the protected.
I grew up in a home where I had to learn to be the protector.
To protect others, to protect me, to always be on guard and if you are careful enough, you may just be able to stop the danger.
You see although I know that God will protect me, I still try to protect myself.
I think it’s all on me. I think it’s up to me to not be broken. I have to be strong because that’s just who I am meant to be.
But how could I even begin to think that strength is characterized by my presence and not his?
The reality of it all is this:
It’s the name of Jesus that causes things to change, not the name of Andrea.
It’s the presence of the Lord that makes the darkness tremble.
It’s the reality of his existence that completely obliterates the confines of our fears.
So, I am now in this place where I have resolved to let who he is become my identity, not what someone did to me, or the struggles I have to face because of their actions.
I don’t claim perfection; I don’t claim that some of these past-tense accounts don’t ever become present-tense realities. Honestly, I am still working through all of this. In response, I will claim that God is good and that he is the embodiment of my healing; this is merely an account of the process he so often takes us through.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”- Psalm 46:1
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18
The Lord is my strength and my protector and that is a position I can no longer attempt to acquire. So, that is one of the many reasons why I sing.
I sing because He is my Protector.