The word in the original language provides a couple of pictures. One is “protect by covering.” I get the picture of someone standing under a roof in a storm. The rain is falling in buckets, but people under the roof are warm and dry.
The second picture is of something like a pillar. A structure that provides support, holding something else up, and not letting it fall.
Both pictures give a connotation of protection. One keeps the things of life from crashing down on people. The other provides support, enabling people to stand, and continue to go forward.
Love wants the success, the well-being, and the woleness of the people they are connected to. And God wants the success, well-being, and wholeness of all creation. Sin, the world, and life can overwhelm. God keeps what can overwhelm, and God supports each child so they can move forward.
God’s definition of success is different from the world’s. God seeks to establish a relationship with each human being, bring them into his family, and restore each one to his original design. To complete this version of success, among other things, God takes action so his children are not overwhelmed, and they can stand firmly with him. He directs. He encourages. He teaches.
Each child will inevitably fail. He protects his children, so failure does not become the end. He helps each one to his feet. He provides support, grace, and direction to move beyond it. He is firmly resolved to stand with each child to ensure success. We are all subject to falling and failing. We all need someone who has our back. We can stand and walk, because he is there holding us up.
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