The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.  Psalm 91:1

Psalm 91 is my favorite Psalm, and I find myself using this quote often, as I’m sure you know. God doesn’t abduct us and force us to live under His protection. It’s a choice we make. If we choose to live under His protection, we dwell in His shadow. We have shelter in the storms of life.

Insurance companies have catchy slogans like, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” They have entertaining commercials. A friend who sells insurance says insurance is a gamble. We are betting the insurance company that we will get into an accident or have something catastrophic occur and they are betting we won’t.

In Louisiana insurance is really expensive. I’ve learned through personal experience lately that this is because many people drive around without it. When they cause an accident, the insured person has to go through their insurance company. Their insurance company in turn sues the uninsured, but how much can you expect to get from someone who can’t pay for insurance?

I was hit by an uninsured driver recently. God took good care of me and even though three cars were involved, no one was seriously injured. I filed a claim with my company, and they handled my issue very efficiently. I was glad I had insurance.

We buy insurance for things like our home, our autos, our lives. In some cases, it is mandatory that we have it. In some cases, we choose to buy it for peace of mind or assurance that matters will be taken care of, or our loved ones will be provided for should something happen to us. It helps us to rest assured.

We insure things we consider valuable like jewelry.  This gives us peace of mind if it’s lost or stolen, it can be replaced. My friend and I often talk about the large chunk of our income that goes to the insurance company.

I have heard Christianity referred to as fire insurance. But that’s really downplaying it or minimalizing what it means to accept Christ as our Savior. When we choose to live in the shelter God provides for us, we don’t just get shelter we get so much more. We are transformed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away. We no longer conform to the world but are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

We are given the strength required to do what God calls us to do (Philippians 4:13). When we focus on God and do His work, He provides all we need (Matthew 6:33).

If insurance could provide all that and more, we wouldn’t mind paying high premiums. We pay high insurance premiums, but we often don’t want to pay the price of following Christ. We don’t want to give up the intentional sin in our lives. We don’t want to let our friends know that we are making some changes in our lives. We don’t want to spend our time in church on Sunday instead of sleeping in.

A life with Christ is not insurance, it’s assurance. We can be assured that we are protected. We can be assured that even the really bad things work for our good if we love Him and are doing what He has called us to do (Romans 8:28). We can be assured that He loved us enough to die for us (John 3:16). We can be assured that He has a place for us in heaven with Him (John 14:2-3).

With insurance, we hope that our problem will be solved with very little out of pocket costs to us.

With God’s assurance, we can rest assured that whatever comes our way, “God’s got this!”

I don’t just have fire insurance that I won’t burn in hell, but I rest assured that no matter what comes my way in this cold, cruel world God’s got me. I pray you can do the same.

Have a great day!