Bible Verses on Safety and Protection in God’s Presence

Throughout most of my adult life, I’ve held onto the maxim that declares, “The safest place in the world is the center of God’s will.”  I take it to mean that whenever I’m walking in God’s will, I am also safe with God.  Today, we’ll explore 15 Bible verses on safety and protection in God’s presence.

Then, I’ll share a way these Scriptures upheld me through a difficult time.

I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God and find comfort in him.

15 Bible Verses on Safety and Protection

Let’s see what the Bible says about being safe in God’s care.

Bible Verses on Safety and Protection

1. Matthew 6:25

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

This verse reminds us that God cares for us.  He wants to meet our needs.  Instead of worrying about his provision, he invites us to lift our eyes to him and wait for him to provide for us.

2. Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

One of the most powerful ways to overcome fear is to relinquish your fear into God’s hands.  Here’s how it works: Imagine your worst-case worry takes place.  Then, ask God to show you the ways he would provide for you and sustain you, even in this scenario.  Work through every aspect of the situation with him, asking him to reveal himself to you.

Once you have explored this in depth, ask him to lift the burden from you as you trust that even if your worry becomes reality, God will care for you.

3. 2 Timothy 1:7

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Are you concerned about an endeavor that feels intimidating?

Remind yourself that the spirit of fear is not from God.  Instead, God gives us the spirit of love, power, and self-discipline.  Don’t listen to the voice of fear.

4. 1 Peter 3:14

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”

Are you feeling unsafe about a situation involving other people?

God will give you strength to endure.  If you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you.  Ask him to help you trust him instead of worrying about the threats of others.

5. Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

God is working even when we cannot see his hand at work.

He is inviting you to new levels of faith.  Will you trust that he is working in unseen places?  If so, your faith will grow.  God will also help you rise above your greatest worries.

6. Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Instead of gazing at your fears, fix your eyes on Jesus.  Tell him about your concerns and ask him to help you surrender these cares into his hands.  He promises to lift your burdens for you.

You might need to surrender these burdens dozens, or even hundreds of times.  That’s okay.  Every time you feel worries arise within you, surrender them to Jesus again.

7. Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

This powerful promise assures us that when we seek God, we will find him.  God is always pursuing us.  For this reason, when we turn to him, we find him waiting with open arms.

At certain times in my life, I’ve been frustrated by this promise.  I’ve sought God and had a difficult time sensing his presence.  This is where some of us get stuck.  At these times, it’s important to remember that we don’t have to feel God’s presence for this promise to be true.

Whether we sense God or not, he is with us.  Cling to this even when you cannot feel his presence with you.  This is walking by faith, and God blesses those who walk by faith.

8. Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

God wants to direct us.  As we stay in step with his guidance, he fills us with joy.

I struggled to believe this truth for many years.  I wanted to live life my way, according to my rules.  When I finally surrendered every area of my life to God, I experienced joy and freedom like I’d never known.  This can be true for you as well.

9. James 4:8

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Sometimes, God seems distant because we have not been seeking him.

Do you regularly carve out time to talk to God and rest in his presence?  If not, consider when you might find even a few minutes to do so.  When you draw near to God, he will draw near to you.

10. Psalm 27:4

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

David wrote this Psalm as his heart cried out for God.  Pursuing God’s presence was his “main thing.”

I have a gentle question for you today: What’s your main thing?

11. Psalm 139:7

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

Psalm 139 is a beautiful depiction of God’s intimate knowledge of each of his children.  He aims to comfort us as we remember that we cannot flee from his presence.  He is always with us to guide, defend, protect, and fight for us.

12. Matthew 28:20

Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he spoke these words.  He called his followers to obey him by sharing his love with the world.  He also reminded us that he will be with us always.

13. Psalm 73:28

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Where do you turn for refuge and comfort at the end of a long day?

God is with you always, and he is inviting you to turn to him.

14. 1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

God is not just with us, he is in us!  For those who follow Jesus, the Spirit of the Living God dwells within us.  For this reason, we can never outrun him or hide from him.  He wants to guide us, help us, support us, and comfort us.

15. Genesis 28:15

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

God made this promise thousands of years ago, and the promise stands for us today as well.  God never abandons his children.

Let’s apply these Bible verses on safety and protection to our lives.

An Application of These Bible Verses on Safety and Protection

A few months ago, our family walked through a tough loss.

The loss led me to question much of what I believed about God.  For the first time in many years, I didn’t feel safe with God.  Following God had led me to a valley so dark that I felt anything but safe.

As we navigated our loss, I was struck by the words of a familiar passage of Scripture.

Jesus just performed one of his most well-known miracles. He fed five thousand people with just a handful of food.  As night descended, he sent his disciples across the lake in their small boat while he climbed a mountain to pray.

The disciples made their way across the water and found themselves in the center of a storm. The wind battered the boat, and the waves threatened to capsize it.

When God Sends You Into the Storm

We typically focus on the next part of the story, the part in which Jesus approaches while walking on the water, pulls Peter from the waves, and calms the storm.

As I read the account recently, I couldn’t stop thinking about the beginning of the story: Jesus intentionally sent his disciples into a storm.

This story gets me thinking about Jesus’ character.  It becomes blatantly clear that God’s will is not always safe.

Just two paragraphs before the account of Jesus sending the disciples into a storm, in Matthew 14:1-12, John the Baptist was beheaded for preaching Christ. It was preaching Christ that drew the attention to John, landed him in prison, and ultimately resulted in his gruesome death.

There are countless examples of those who laid down the pursuit of safety to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. The Apostle Paul spent years in prison and was killed for the sake of the gospel. Steven was stoned.  Most of the disciples were martyred.

So what does this mean for my comfortable Christian life thousands of years later?

Let’s look at three Truths about being safe with God.

Are we truly safe with God?

1. Following God does not assure protection from danger.

In our culture, safety implies protection from danger. It implies a life in which risk is minimal and there is little chance of pain, suffering, or injury.  If we replace the word “safe” with the synonym “secure,” it’s easier to glean spiritual truth from this statement: “The most secure place is in the center of God’s will.”

The most secure place is in the center of God’s will. #Godswill #followingGod #Jesus Share on X

We are secure when the One who holds the future has us exactly where he wants us. Our lives are secure when we are obeying the Lord.  We are secure when we walk with the assurance that we are following God with our whole hearts.

This kind of security has little to do with protection from physical harm or even death.  This kind of security rests in the truth that we will not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Our trust is in the One who holds eternity in his hands.

Have you replaced the idea of God’s secure grip with your own expectations for a “safe” life?  This might look like keeping your mind closed to the possibility of following God to a new job, a new relationship, or a new season of life that feels just a little out of control.  Sit with this question for a moment, and allow God to speak into this part of your life.

2. God often calls us to follow him into uncertainty and risk.

I can step out in faith and risk when I cast off the idea that my Christian life is to be safe.

I recently wrote the most vulnerable article I’d ever written for a prominent publication.  The thought that I needed to write the article had been pressing on me for over a year.

When I finally pressed the send button, nothing about it felt safe.

Following Jesus doesn’t often feel like a safe endeavor. He might call me to pray with a stranger or share my faith with someone who intimidates me.  He might lead me to travel overseas.  His guidance could nudge me to step into a new career endeavor.

Risk is never easy, but it’s always worthwhile.

We don’t take risks because we’re seeking adventure.  Instead, we follow God into risk when he leads us outside our comfort zones for his purposes.

Let’s pause to pray about where God is calling us to follow him into risk today.  Learning how to find God’s will starts in the small moments of everyday life.  He might not lead you to Africa, but he will begin in your small suburban community.

3. God’s will does not negate trouble in life.

Jesus promised trouble in this world. He reminded his disciples that they’d need to lay down their lives to follow him, that there would be a cost, and that there would be personal sacrifice involved.

None of this is safe; however, the Lord uses our obedience to conform us to the image of himself, and this is worth the price.

Are you questioning God’s will in a hard season of life?  There are times when trouble comes as a result of our sin, but there are other times when we face trouble because we live in a broken world.  If you are facing trouble, refuse to grow offended.  The hottest fires refine the purest silver.

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I now invite you to explore our devotional books and free eBooks below.

Calling All Parents (and Grandparents)!

As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God.  Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision.  They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love.  You can find all three books here or read more below.

Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!

God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom.  Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world.  I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven!  You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord.  Find this life-changing devotional book here.

Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion.  I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven.  Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20.  It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing.  This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start.  Bekah and I will help you right here.

Find Our Family Devotionals Here

Find all three books right here.  They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial!  These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them.  Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.

Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone.  Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life.  Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here.  (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!

A Free Devotional to Help You Find Peace in God’s Presence

If these Bible verses on safety and protection blessed you, I have a gift for you.  I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment.  Find it for free here.  I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free.  I invite you to explore the collection right here!