Untouchable in the Almighty's Hand

“I’m untouchable until the Lord is done with me,” she said. “And when He’s done, there’s nothing I can do about it anyway.”

Give me thirty seconds, and I’ll give you a dozen ways to die in the woods.

I don’t normally consider myself a fearful person, but in the forest it seems like hazards are everywhere: heights, potential rockfalls, sudden storms, and, of course, bears.

On a recent trip to the Rocky Mountains, my family spotted a cinnamon black bear moseying along the path outside our cabins, a rare sight in Estes Park, Colorado. The second he was spotted, the rest of us crowded along the porch to watch as he disappeared deeper into the forest.

As we walked back inside, my phone vibrated with breaking news about an international military operation, a notification I immediately read out loud. The headlines described events happening thousands of miles away, but the cold rush of anxiety that filled me made the danger feel more present than the wild animal we’d just encountered on the back porch. We didn’t know what the impact at home would be. Did we face greater risk of physical danger? Financial instability? Or civil unrest?

I sent the headlines to some friends, and one responded with a comment I’ve been thinking about ever since. She wasn’t afraid. “I’m untouchable until the Lord is done with me,” she said. “And when He’s done, there’s nothing I can do about it anyway.”

Peace That Holds

How do you live with real peace, the kind that wholeheartedly believes not one hair of your head could ever be harmed unless the Lord allows it to happen? How do you experience the kind of freedom that comes when your fears are quieted by the reality of God’s protection, sovereignty, and love?

I’ve been thinking about those questions over the last few weeks while my church group spends our summer in the Psalms. We’re not the only group working through that book of the Bible—I continue to hear of other churches and ministries studying it in their midweek sessions and on Sunday mornings. Even Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is currently preparing for and teaching through the Psalms as part of Revive Our Hearts’ upcoming Wonder of the Word initiative.

Anytime groups of believers across the country (and world!) are united in studying the same book of the Bible or a particular theme, I find myself extra curious about what the Lord could be up to. What does He want us to learn and live out?

Too often, we reach for the Psalms only in times of crisis, grasping an isolated verse here and there like a lifeline. And while they’ve been that and have brought comfort, they’re not meant to function only as a salve for hard moments. The Psalms are intended for much more. They give comfort, yes. But also conviction, confidence, and courage. They hold enduring truths about God’s character—truths we’re meant to build our entire lives upon.

As I’ve been reading what others have written about the Psalms—both in centuries past and the present day—a consistent theme keeps emerging. These are some of the most familiar and frequently quoted words in all of Scripture, yet many of us don’t approach them with the same depth that marked the believers who came before us.

Consider how Jesus Himself handled the Psalms:

The Lord Jesus probably memorized the book. He quoted it often—in his teaching ministry, in his debates with the Jewish leaders, in his final hours on the cross, and in his resurrection ministry to his apostles. And in all these scenarios he demonstrated that the Psalms spoke of him. The apostles cited the Psalms often, and as they had learned from their Master, they understood it as speaking of him. . . .

That these unlettered men—mostly fishermen—had this kind of knowledge astounded the scribes and the lawyers and the educated such that they asked, “Where did these men get this knowledge?” Of course, they had the advantage of divine inspiration, but in inspiring these men, the Holy Spirit used what was already there. It seems they had memorized these Scriptures. Most of them were “laymen” without a formal education who had spent their lives in the Psalms thoughtfully and piously, and because of that they could breathe the Psalms when they prayed and when they sang.¹

Paul too lived this way:

[He] says in Romans 8:36, “We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered”—that is Psalm 44:22. The New Testament writers held the Psalms close always—the Psalter was deeply a part of them.²

Could the same be said of us?

In his devotional book, The Songs of Jesus, Dr. Timothy Keller said, “We are not simply to read psalms; we are to be immersed in them so that they profoundly shape how we relate to God.”³ Because all that we do and encounter relates to Him.

As long as we walk this earth, we’ll feel the spike of anxiety, whether it’s over headlines with events taking place halfway across the world or because of what’s happening at home. Fear doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it hums in the background unchecked, dancing away with your peace.

You need the Word of God, the truth of the Psalms, for the days when the world feels unsafe. And you need reassurance for every other day in between. The Psalms were intended to be more than a balm or a battle plan—they’re meant to be your very life (Deut. 32:47).

The Psalms as Your Daily Defense

If Jesus valued the Psalms and knew them by heart, and if the disciples memorized them, following their Master’s example, then they should be the soundtrack of your days, the vocabulary of your hope, and the framework for your confidence and courage.

Read them repeatedly—over and over in a single devotional session, throughout your day, or every day for months. Meditate on a phrase or a few verses, focusing on what it says about God’s character. Let these truths become the reflex of your soul when fear rises, but also as you’re going about your week: while getting kids out the door, meeting with your coworkers, or lying awake at night thinking about what’s ahead. The Psalms will begin to shape your instincts so that when the world feels unsafe, you’ll already know where to run.

Here are five to start with, whether you want to begin with meditating on a single verse or memorizing a whole chapter.

1. Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
whom should I dread?

3. Psalm 46:1–6

God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah

There is a river—
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
The LORD of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

3. Psalm 31:1–5

LORD, I seek refuge in you;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by your righteousness.
Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
For you are my rock and my fortress;
you lead and guide me
for your name’s sake.
You will free me from the net
that is secretly set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I entrust my spirit;
you have redeemed me, LORD, God of truth.

4. Psalm 121

I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.

The LORD protects you;
the LORD is a shelter right by your side.
The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.

The LORD will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
The LORD will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.

5. Psalm 91

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say concerning the LORD, who is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust:
He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,
from the destructive plague.
He will cover you with his feathers;
you will take refuge under his wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,
the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.
Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.
You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.

Because you have made the LORD—my refuge,
the Most High—your dwelling place,
no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.
For he will give his angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.
They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.

Because he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.
When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.
I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation.

May these lines from Jesus’ songbook remind you that no matter what’s happening around you today, you’re secure in the hands of the Almighty God. You’re always loved. Always protected. Untouchable in His care, until He takes you home.

1. Bruce K. Waltke and Fred G. Zaspel, How to Read and Understand the Psalms (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023), 1–2.

2. Bruce K. Waltke and Fred G. Zaspel, How to Read and Understand the Psalms (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023), 2.

3. Keller, Timothy. The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. New York: Viking, 2016, vii.

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“Untouchable in the Almighty’s Hand” first appeared on ReviveOurHearts.com.