As a hippie child, my answer was a resounding “Yes!” Of course I wanted to go. Who wouldn’t want to hear Ace Frehley play lead guitar or Gene Simmons fork out his oversized tongue? Their makeup and stage antics were amazing. At least to a lover of rock-n-roll—which my father wasn’t.
My dad’s answer to the question was a reverberating “No!” No room for discussion…no chance he’d change his mind. He didn’t like my music and thought most of it was “straight from the pits of hell.” And some might have been. (I did wonder a little about Alice Cooper’s “Goes to Hell” album.)
Little did I appreciate or understand it then, but God was using my parents as guardian angels. And he provides some—physical and spiritual, for all his children. For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him (Psalm 34:7 NLT). What I interpreted as bad—my father not letting me attend a concert, was really for my good. He was concerned about the negative messages entering my head, which for a teenager wasn’t high on my list of important matters.
If an earthly parent can see ahead and make wise decisions because of their foreknowledge and experience, how much more can my Heavenly Father—who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, guard my steps. Sometimes I wonder about the things he allows into my life and about the things he keeps me from, but I’ve learned to trust his judgment. I’m his child, and he loves me unconditionally. When God tells me I can’t go, I willingly—well sometimes reluctantly, stay put.
Are you listening to the guard God places around you?
Prayer: Thank You Father for keeping us from those things that could harm us spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Guide our steps to paths that will make us productive for Your kingdom.
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