When You Can’t Protect Them From Everything, Trust the One Who Can........ God Is Our Protector

“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2

The desire to protect is an instinct all mothers and caregivers possess. God has placed it deep within their hearts. We want to fend off the hurt, fix the broken places, and stand between the people we love and anything that might cause them pain.

When our children hurt, we hurt with them. When they are afraid, we want to make the fear disappear. When they make mistakes, we want to rescue them from the consequences. When life comes crashing in, our first instinct can be, “What can I do to make this better?”

There is nothing wrong with wanting to care for those God has entrusted to us, but sometimes God gently reminds us:

“You were never meant to be their Savior. I am.”

I know those words can be difficult to receive, because we live in a world where life is uncertain.

We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We don't know what battle our children may face, what disappointment may break their hearts, what relationship may hurt them, what diagnosis may change their plans, or what storm may suddenly appear on the horizon.

As caregivers, we can spend so much of our lives trying to prepare for every possible storm that we forget something incredibly important:

We don't have to know what tomorrow holds when we know Who holds tomorrow.

Psalm 91:2 declares,

“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Notice the words: my refuge…my fortress…my God, in whom I trust. A refuge is a place we run to when the storm comes. A fortress is a place of protection when the enemy is near.

The word trust means we don't have to understand everything before we place ourselves and those we love in God's hands.

Sometimes Trust Means Letting Go!!!

Mama, caregiver, friend: there will be moments when you simply cannot fix what is happening.

There will be prayers you pray with tears running down your face and situations where you wish you could take the pain from someone you love and carry it yourself. Sometimes you will just feel empty, and that's when faith becomes more than a word.

At times, trusting God is like saying, “Lord, I can't fix this, I can't control this, and I can't protect them from everything, but I know You can.”

All doesn't mean we stop caring or stop praying. It doesn't mean we stop doing what God has called us to do. It means we stop trying to carry the responsibility that belongs to God.

Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Sometimes our understanding tells us to feel fearful or to panic, and then we start to think everything will fall apart if I don’t handle this.

Faith tells us:

“I don't have to understand everything to trust God with everything.”

Teach Them Where Their Help Comes From

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children and the people God has placed in our care is not a promise that we will always be able to protect them, because we can't.

As parents, we won’t have all the answers and we won’t be able to stop the heartbreak, but we can teach them where to run when life becomes too much.

We can teach them to run to Jesus and to pray when they are afraid.

We can teach them to open God's Word when they don't know what to do.

We can teach them that their security isn't found in people, possessions, circumstances, or even in us. Their ultimate security is found in God.

Perhaps that is one of the most beautiful parts of motherhood and caregiving, not raising children who believe they will never face trouble, but raising them to know exactly where to turn when trouble comes.

Isaiah 41:10 gives us this beautiful promise:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God doesn't promise that we will never walk through difficult places. He promises that we will never walk through them alone.

You Can Breathe.....

Maybe today you're carrying something that has been keeping you awake at night.

Maybe you're worried about one of your children. Maybe you're caring for someone who needs more from you than you feel capable of giving. Maybe you're trying to anticipate every possible problem because you're afraid of what could happen. Maybe you've been holding everything together for everyone else while quietly falling apart inside.

Today, I want you to stop for a moment and take a breath. Remind your heart:

God is my refuge and my fortress. He is my strength and my Defender.

God is with the people I love and if God is for us, who can be against us? (see Romans 8:31)

You don't have to know what tomorrow holds or have all the answers.

You don't have to carry every burden and be everyone's protector, but you can trust the One who is our Protector.

Your job is to love them. Your job is to pray and guide them.

Your job is to teach them God's truth and to be faithful with what God has placed in your hands, and then, you place the rest in His.

💜 This Week's Reminder

I don't have to carry the responsibility of being everyone's protector. God is my refuge, my fortress, my strength, and my Defender. I will faithfully care for the people God has entrusted to me, but I will trust Him with what I cannot control. I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow.

🌿 Two Action Steps

1. Release one burden.

Think of one person or situation you've been trying to control or fix. Today, intentionally give it to God in prayer. Tell Him exactly what you're afraid of, and then say, “Lord, I trust You with this.” Every time the worry returns, surrender it again.

2. Teach someone where their refuge is

Choose one child, loved one, or person you care for and intentionally share Psalm 91:2 with them this week. Talk about what it means to trust God when life feels uncertain. Don't just tell them that God protects us, show them what trusting God looks like through your own life.

Father God,

Today I come before You with my mama heart, my caregiver heart, and all the burdens I've been carrying. You know how deeply I love the people You've entrusted to me. You know how badly I want to protect them from pain, disappointment, fear, and heartbreak, but Lord, today I recognize that I cannot control everything. I cannot see tomorrow or prevent every storm. I cannot fix every broken heart or carry every burden. I know I don't have to.

You are my refuge and my fortress. You are my strength and my Defender.

Teach me the difference between faithfully caring for the people You've placed in my life and trying to take Your place in their lives. Give me wisdom to know when to step in and when to step back. Give me courage to act when You call me to act and faith to surrender when You call me to surrender.

When fear tells me I must control everything, remind me that You are already in control.

When I don't know what tomorrow holds, remind me that You are already there.

When I cannot protect someone I love from their circumstances, remind me that I can place them into Your hands.

And Lord, let the people I care for see something different in me. Let them see a woman who prays instead of panics, a woman who trusts instead of fears, and a woman who seeks Your Word instead of relying only on her own understanding. Let my life teach them that God can be trusted, even when life cannot.

Father, I surrender my children, I surrender my family, I surrender the people You've placed in my care, and I surrender myself.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I know You will be there, so today, I choose trust.

You are my refuge and my fortress.

You are my God, and in You, I will trust.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen. 💜

Author: Priscilla Campbell 

Editor: Christine Platt