I’ve stopped praying for safety, and you should too.
Growing up, I often heard people pray, “Keep us safe until the next appointed time.” What innocent-
sounding heretics we are.
I’m overstating that, but I want your attention. Scripture is full of prayers for protection, but
they’re usually specific: David cries out to be rescued from enemies (Psalm 59:1), Paul asks for
deliverance from wicked people (2 Thessalonians 3:2), and Jesus teaches us to pray for deliverance
from evil (Matthew 6:13). These are prayers from people in real danger, not vague requests
for comfort.
Today, however, “safety” has become a cultural idol. In a world where most nearly all values seem
up for debate, safety remains a universal good. But when we elevate a good thing to the greatest
thing, it becomes an idol. We stop asking God to make us holy and start asking Him simply to
keep us comfortable and unbothered.
God’s protection is real—but it’s not meant to shield us forever. Psalm 91 says He hides us under
His wings like a mother bird—but chicks aren’t meant to stay there. They’re meant to fly. Protection
is meant to prepare us for calling, for courage, for risk, to “mount up with wings like eagles”
(Isaiah 40:31).
Jesus didn’t say, “Follow me and you’ll be safe.” He said, “Take up your cross” (Luke 9:23). That’s
not the language of safety—it’s the language of sacrifice, of love, of purpose.
So yes, pray for protection when danger comes. But don’t make safety your life’s goal. The goal
is to know Christ and make Him known (Philippians 3:10). And often, we meet Him most clearly
when we step out of our comfort zone—into the storm, into the unknown.
Don’t build your life on the shifting sands of “safety.”
Build on the rock of Christ.
Maranatha, Jordy
