The Assurance of God’s Watchful Care

David prayed, “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1). The Hebrew word that David uses for “preserve” in this verse is packed with meaning. It says, in essence, “Put a hedge around me, a wall of protective thorns. Guard me and keep me. Observe my every move, all my comings and goings.”

David fully believed that God preserves the righteous. This blessed man declared, “He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul” (Psalm 121:4-7). The same Hebrew words used in Psalm 16:1 appears in this passage. Once again, David is speaking of God’s divine hedge, the supernatural wall of protection. He is assuring us, “God keeps his eye on you everywhere you go.”

If you have trouble accepting God’s desire to preserve you, read where David said, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord … The Lord upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).

Even Job in his agony testified of God’s preserving power. This man lost his family, his possessions, his health, his good name, yet he addressed God as “a watcher [preserver] of men” (Job 7:20).

Time after time, our God has proved himself as a preserver to his people. Why is the Lord so intent on preserving us? We find a clue in Moses’ words: “The Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 6:24). Moses says God gave them the commandments to preserve and keep them for the same reason God wants to save and protect us: that his plan for our lives will be fulfilled!