The Lord Rewards Those Who Keep His Ways

God is a protector of those who love and obey Him. God is a rock, a fortress, a deliverer, a refuge, a shield, a horn of salvation, and a stronghold to His children who have kept His ways and have not turned away from Him.

"I love you, Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress

and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold.

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies.

The cords of death entangled me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the Lord;

I cried to my God for help.

From His temple He heard my voice;

my cry came before Him, into His ears.

. . .

The Lord has dealt with me

according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands

He has rewarded me.

For I have kept the ways of the Lord;

I am not guilty of turning from my God.

All His laws are before me;

I have not turned away from His decrees.

I have been blameless before Him

and have kept myself from sin.

The Lord has rewarded me

according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands

in His sight."

Psalm 18:1-6, 20-24 (NIV)

The writer of the article "Why I Raise My Children Without God" denied God as a protector of the innocent because in our world young children and babies are being horribly abused and terribly neglected. I do not disagree with the later half of her statement.

However, God is not to blame for child abuse or neglect. The fault lies with the parents and people who have not walked in the ways of the Lord and have turned their backs on Him. Blaming God for child abuse and neglect is the same as blaming God for abortions. Ungodly men and women are to blame for the killing of millions of innocent unborn children each year, just as they are to blame for the abuse and neglect of children. And yet the majority of people in this world do not consider abortions, sex outside of marriage, divorce, or living for self wrong. Why? Because people want to continue to live in sin, ignore God, and disregard His righteous ways. But when bad things happen, these same people blame God and never themselves. They only cry out to God in their time of desperate need or when they are angry at Him.

If people live contrary to God's ways, and keep justifying sin when God says it is wrong, they forfeit His protection. The world needs to get back to God's Word and live according to His commands. At the same time, the children of God need to not be afraid to stand up for righteousness in an evil world and testify of God's character.