Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. Psalm 25:20 ESV
Eons ago, we lived in Oregon. Early each morning after dropping my toddler sons off at the babysitter’s house, I would head from the ‘burbs to my job in downtown Portland.
Traffic always worsened close to downtown, particularly on either side of the Willamette River, which cut through the city from north to south. The river shoreline harbored commercial shipping and railroad yards. Huge cargo ships ported to load and unload commercial goods, most of which would eventually reach wholesalers and retailers across the country. Streams of truckers hauled heavy loads to and from the shipping yards; as did locomotives, which pulled miles of packed boxcars from coast to coast.
My daily route included a series of bridges that would carry me over the shipping and railroad yards, across the river to the other side, and on into downtown Portland.
One morning as I drove our new little Toyota Corolla across the first of a series of raised bridges that would eventually deposit me on the other side of the river, my mind was occupied with the day’s list of family and job-related to-dos.
Then I focused as I took the curve that would lead to the next bridge; that’s when my car jolted from a hard hit on the back left side. The impact swung the Toyota in a hard left and plastered it flat against the semi-truck. I looked to my left, directly into the front grille and headlights of the enormous truck, and then forward into the bridge’s guardrail.
When my car hit the guardrail, I could see the busy train switching yard below. I was sure I would be sailing over (or through) the rail in seconds.
A thought flickered in my brain: how ironic that I was going to die plummeting into an active train switching yard. My daddy had worked for the railroad since before I was born – often in the switching yards. I loved trains. And now, it looked like I would die “by train” or at least surrounded by trains.
Then the trucker slammed on his brakes, literally throwing my car off the truck’s front grille, propelling it across the right-hand lane and into its guardrail. My crumpled car skidded to a hard stop and smashed against the guardrail.
I sat motionless. My head spinning from the knocks it had taken from the truck’s beat-down.
I was not dead.
I was not lying lifeless in the switching yard that stretched below the bridge.
God and His guardrails had saved my life.
Guardrails. Protective barriers.
Guardrails have purpose. They aren’t meant to slow us down, impede our progress, or prevent us from reaching our desired destination. Not at all. In fact, just the opposite. Guardrails are protective barriers intended to protect us from falling into danger or sliding into disaster.
Guardrails are intended for our good. They keep traffic moving safely. They remind us to stay away from the edge and in our lane.
Guardrails keep us safe and help ensure we will successfully reach our intended journey’s end. In especially dire situations, guardrails may even save our lives.
God places spiritual guardrails in our lives for those same purposes.
Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My Name. Psalm 91:14 ESV
Psalm 91 describes some of the types of guardrails that God uses in the lives of those who His and are abiding in His shadow:
- The Most High God is our guard when our journey becomes treacherous, trouble-filled, and overwhelming (v.1, 9).
- His faithfulness is our guardrail against the terrors of darkness and daily attacks that would wound and destroy (v.4-6).
- He is our Rescuer (v.10, 15)
- God’s angels have been commanded to guard our ways (v.11).
- God is our protector and our guardrail when we hold fast to Him in love (v.14)
There are times when obstacles and bumps in our journey seem to slow us down and hinder our progress. Those are the times that we need to call out to God and ask questions—and listen for His answers.
Am I trying to do this all in my own strength?
Is this a guardrail You’ve placed in my path to slow me down so that I can look to You for strength and direction?
Have I gotten off Your intended path for my life? Are these guardrails intended to move me back into the lane in which You want me to be living for You?
God’s guardrails are in place to move us safely along in our journey of becoming more like Christ and faithfully obeying God’s calling for our life.
When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. Psalm 91:15 ESV
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 ESV
What guardrails have you seen in your own life?
How did you respond?