The God Who Keeps Watch Over Us

A couple of years ago, our lawnmower broke just as the neighborhood deer began to foal.

Over the next couple of weeks, we found four beautiful, tiny fawns hidden in the tall grass of our Texas hill country front yard. Initially, we were shocked to discover newborn babies seemingly abandoned, but we soon learned that mother deer “park” their fawns in a safe place while they search for food. This is part of an ancient routine, an instinctual habit that enables the survival of the whitetail deer species.

We knew not to touch the babies (perhaps because of the widely known rule about birds?), but we worried about predators—coyotes, snakes, or fire ants—finding and killing them before their mothers returned. Then we learned fawns are born with built-in protection. Newborns are without scent and are pre-programmed to be still and quiet. Deer also never venture far from their young, and they most likely kept their eyes on us the whole time we were observing their offspring.

Each new fawn discovery brought great excitement for our family. My preschool-age daughters and I were in constant awe, and the youngest, of course, had to be frequently reminded not to touch the cute deer. We savored those rare opportunities to see the animals up close, and we took as many photos as possible without disturbing the babies.

Within a few days, one by one they disappeared, and only a small, flattened oval of grass remained in each one’s place. The mothers retrieved them under cover of nightfall, so we didn’t even have the privilege of watching them leave. It was, rather appropriately, a private moment for mother and baby.

In those fleeting days when our yard served as a wildlife refuge, God taught me about his protection over his most vulnerable creatures. These Old Testament verses reveal his faithfulness to watch over us:

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19 ESV)

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7 ESV)

From afar, but always close enough to lend aid, the foraging deer kept watch over their babies. God protects us from afar as well—because of our faith in him.

Every spring, I am amazed by God’s protection over me through the harsh winter. Through each difficult season of caregiving, loss, anxiety, and depression I have experienced over the last decade, he has ultimately kept his promises, developing my character, perseverance, and endurance and drawing me closer to his presence, through trials.

Time and time again, he meets me in the darkness of my grief and mental illness, forever deepening my faith in his provision.

He constantly turns my pain into purpose and my hardship into ministry. Nothing could ever rival the healing that restores my soul, each time I discover that my story of his redemption has helped someone else who is struggling. God’s great love for his children never ceases to amaze me.

One of my favorite Bible verses completes the story of God’s perfect protection over us:

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10 ESV)

We know that God is the highest authority in heaven and on earth. An attentive and ever-present father, he anticipates and understands our needs. He covers us in protection, not because of who we are, but because of who he is. This is the true source of our courage.

Like the nearby, unseen mother doe, God is always close enough to lend aid when predators lurk. He keeps careful watch over us, even in scary moments when we doubt his presence.

We know that he hears our prayers and sees the deepest desires of our hearts. We know that he gives us God-sized dreams only he can achieve and then helps us grow and succeed in furthering his kingdom work.

He commands us to “be still, and know” his power, like the quiet fawn, proclaiming his righteousness to an uncertain and dangerous world, as we confidently await his return.

Lauren Flake writes about her journey as a wife, mom to two little girls and Alzheimer’s daughter in her native Austin, Texas, at For the Love of Dixie. Her first book, Where Did My Sweet Grandma Go? was published in 2016. She thrives on green tea, Tex-Mex, and all things turquoise.