God's Got My Back

Someone with my skin tone has no business in the sun. Or near a pool. Or at the beach. But I love the water and the sunshine, so I invest heavily in sunscreen. Although spray sunscreen is more convenient, most of the time I use lotion. I feel better when I can apply it as thickly as I want, much to the embarrassment of my children. I wish I had a bag of pretzel M&Ms for every time I heard one say, “It doesn’t have to be visible to be effective.”
The first person to comment about the thick sunscreen on my nose is usually the one I ask, ‘Would you put some on my back?” That’s the one area I can’t reach, so I ask for help to cover my back. It won’t be long before I know if I, or someone else, missed a spot, because I will surely burn. The good news is that if I get burned, I put on different lotion to soothe the sting, and I’m more careful the next time.
Often, when going through the sunscreen ritual, I think of my desire to keep my loved ones covered in prayer. I want every area of their lives brought before the Throne of God and for His Will to be accomplished. I want them to go through their classes and jobs and relationships without being burned. I know that’s a lofty goal. We make mistakes, or we are at the receiving end of someone else’s mistake, and we get hurt. (Then we heal, and are more careful next time.) However, as much as possible, I pray for God’s protection.
On January 12, 1993, during a very difficult time in my life, Mrs. Raspberry, the mother of a good friend, called me with the following Scripture. “The Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 52:12.
On that day I realized, God’s got my back. Not only will He lead me where I need to go, but He’ll protect me from things that would try to sneak up on me. And He doesn’t have to be visible to be effective.