DEFENDER AND PROTECTOR

Psalm 129:1-4 says, "From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this: From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me. My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows. But the Lord is good; he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly." Psalm 129 is another song of ascent that the Jews sang while traveling through rugged terrain to worship God in the temple in Jerusalem. They remember how their enemies persecuted them, but they remained standing because God was their deliverer. One of the most hated people groups in the world is the Jews. Throughout their history in the Old Testament, we learned that they were always surrounded by their enemies to destroy them, yet God continued to preserve them. In the modern era, antisemitism was on the rise before World War I, and during World War II, the Nazi Germans, under the leadership of Hitler, killed millions of Jews. Even to this day, we saw the October 7th massacre of Jews in Israel by the Hamas terrorists from Gaza. Despite the hate and persecution of the Jews, God is still preserving the nation of Israel because He chose them as His own people. In the second coming of our Lord Jesus to this earth, He will reign in Israel for a thousand years, and the believing Jews will serve Him in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40-48). 

Although we can never experience the persecution of the Jews as a nation, we can experience being persecuted as Christians. We too are chosen people of God through faith in our Lord Jesus. In John 15:16, Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you." Since God chose us to be His people, Satan hates us; therefore, he is rallying the world against us and our beliefs. According to the Open Doors International World Watch List 2026, approximately 388 million Christians worldwide experience high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Nigeria alone, there are 224,129 Christians forced from their homes. We don't experience severe persecution in the United States because we are one of the countries in the world that is considered a Christian nation. However, despite the persecution that Christians experience, we will not be defeated because the true living God is on our side.

Satan will try to destroy anything that relates to God because He hates God. But Satan will never succeed in destroying God's people because God is our defender and protector. In the end, God will judge Satan, his demons, and his followers to eternal condemnation in hell, and that will be the end of them. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Who is behind the persecution of all God's people? Why will those who are against Christianity never succeed in stopping God's people? Who is my protector and defender?

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you that you are our defender and protector. Please help me to persevere in my faith in you despite the opposition. I pray for all Christians, including myself, to continue to stand for our faith in you. Please help me to be bold and not be afraid to stand in your name, Jesus. I pray for those who are against you and your Word that they will come to know your truth and be saved. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.