In the Western world, we wear seat belts. We lock our doors. We install security systems in our homes. The pursuit of safety is a high value for Westerners.
But if our own safety is of higher value than obeying God, we won’t consider a calling that involves the potential for danger. It’s not natural for us to consider an option that demands running into the pain, into the fray, into danger instead of away from it. The high value of safety as a personal right can distract us from God’s calling on our lives. Many of us have bought into the lie that God would never ask us to live somewhere where disease, danger, and maybe even death are real possibilities. But He might have different plans.
Our true safety is—and always has been—in the hands of God.
How do we release to God our natural desire for safety, so that He can free us to chart the course of our lives in response to His leading? Let’s ask God to help us believe these two truths.
Truth #1: God Is Our Protection
The physical view of safety—as something attainable, as something real—can cloud the spiritual view of safety. But the psalmist reminds us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). God is our refuge—not people, not places, not seat belts. We can live in the safest country in the world, with all the correct safety controls in place, and still get hit by another car on the freeway. Bad things can still happen, even in our hometowns.
Pursued by those who wished to kill him, King David wrote, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
When we move out of a place that feels safe, we learn to recognize that our true protection and our true safety is—and always has been—in the hands of God.
This frees us to say, “Yes, God, I will move somewhere that is less safe, because You are my protection.”
Truth #2: Jesus Will Be With Us
When Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world, He ended with a promise: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The truth of Jesus’ presence gives us courage, confidence, and comfort in our calling.
Jesus is present in every situation and in every place. As believers, we are filled with the Spirit of Christ. He goes with us wherever we go. We can speak to Him when we’re afraid, and He can speak to us. When we wrestle with God about vital matters of safety, the Holy Spirit can tell us what we need to know to persevere or change course (John 16:13–15).
Whether we live—or die—here or across the seas, we trust God for our protection, making each day count, knowing that Jesus is with us.
Learn more about how God will bless you as you cross cultures for His Kingdom.
This excerpt comes from Jeannie Marie’s new book Across the Street and Around the World: Following Jesus to the Nations in Your Neighborhood and Beyond. Jeannie’s passion is to inspire ordinary believers to cross cultures with courage, confidence, and compassion—both across the street and to the ends of the earth. Our thanks to Thomas Nelson for their partnership in this post.
Main photo by Marcus Hanson