A Spiritual Firewall

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here it goes again!  That little beep from my computer warns me that something or someone is trying to establish contact with my computer while I am online.  The contact could be something as innocent as a friend’s e-mail or as sinister as a new virus programmed to wipe out my hard drive and crash my computer.  No matter how far we advance technologically, it seems there are always ways to muck up and ruin any system.

Until I installed a firewall, I never knew just how vulnerable my computer was to outside influences.  Now, during any given session, my computer’s firewall will alert me at least five times of potential danger.  The firewall is programmed to stop a potential intruder before it can infect and damage my computer.  Whenever anything questionable comes across the Internet, I receive a warning that my computer could come under attack.

Before I installed my firewall, I was unaware of the numerous contacts my computer received during a given session.  However, I do know that at some point a virus found its way into my computer and it took me several hours to rid my computer of the culprit and return things to normal working order.  Since I installed the protective firewall, however, I have encountered no difficulties and there have been no viruses released on my computer.  The firewall has brought with it a sense of security and peace.

It should come as no surprise to us that the Bible speaks about the concept of the firewall.  I am not suggesting a new interpretation or translation of the Scriptures.  I am fully aware that the writer of Psalm 34 had no idea about megabytes, hard drives, monitors, or printers.  Yet the concept of protection is a theme that runs throughout the Scriptures as God proves repeatedly His promise to care for and guard those who follow Him.

In Psalm 34:17, we read this brief statement, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”  King David penned these words not from a desire to write beautiful poetry but from the experience of living in God’s protection.  During his life, David knew what it meant to be chased and hunted.  He knew the sting of betrayal, the fear of being hunted, and the chill of living away from society.  But David also knew the joy of following the Lord and of experiencing first-hand God’s deliverance and protection.

Notice the imagery he uses in this verse from Psalm 34.  David knew what it was to live in tents and to be exposed and vulnerable to the elements as well as to his enemies.  He knew that an encampment offered far less security than the strong and sturdy walls of a palace fortress.  But each evening David slept in peace because he knew that all around his camp God kept a watchful eye.  While David slept, the Lord, Himself, stood as a wall of protection around his camp.  No foe could attack, no army could invade, and no trap could be sprung as long as David was protected by the Lord.

What the firewall is to the computer, the presence of the living God was to David.  It protected him from harm and warned him of any potential danger that awaited him.  As long as David feared—obeyed, respected, and honored—the Lord, God delivered him and kept him safe.

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o you know this protection in your life?  Does God’s presence surround you every moment of the day?  Do you know what it means to rely on God for provision and protection in your daily walk?  Do you have a spiritual firewall installed in your life today?  If not, don’t you think it’s time you asked God into your life today?