It’s nice to have a bodyguard, isn’t it?

Someone who watches over you, keeps tabs on what’s happening to you, and is ready to step in if it looks like you’re headed for trouble.

Even flocks of geese have a bodyguard of sorts. The individual bird which fills this role is called a sentinel.

While the other geese are feeding, individual geese will take turns acting as protectors for the rest of the gaggle. These sentinels will stand guard, necks erect, alert to any threat from predators. They have keen eyesight and hearing, and will honk loudly to warn the others if they sense any danger.

Geese make such effective guards that we humans have often taken advantage of their services. We’ve employed geese at farms and warehouses as living alarm systems, and have even used them to guard U.S. Air Defense Command installations in Germany!

We could all use a sentinel like that in our lives, couldn’t we?

Did you know that if you’re a believer, you already have a “bodyguard”?

It’s God Himself.

Scripture tells us that God is our protector. He safeguards us like an alert shepherd watching over a flock of sheep.

“We put our hope in the LORD; he is our protector and our help.” (Psalm 33:20)

“You, God, are my shield, the protector of everyone whose heart is right.” (Psalm 7:10)

Just as a shepherd doesn’t doze off on the job, God is keeping His watchful eye over us 24/7.

“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.
Behold, the Protector of Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:2-4)

And what should our response be in return?

Total trust and confidence in God.

Our friends the geese can help us illustrate this.

The other day I was at the grocery store and parked near a strip of grass. A few feet away were a pair of Canada geese, male and female (when they arrive back from their wintering grounds, Canada geese sometimes choose peculiar places to stop and feed!).

When I returned from my shopping trip to put my purchases in the trunk of my car, I noticed that the male goose was acting as sentinel. His mate was feeding on the grass just a few feet away from my vehicle, but he wasn’t eating one bite. His senses were on high alert, ready to spring into action if I got too close. He watched me carefully, never taking his eyes off me.

His mate, on the other hand, never looked up once.

She contentedly nibbled on the grass without a care in the world. She didn’t bat an eyelid when I opened the trunk and loaded my groceries, nor when I closed my car door.

And why should she worry? She had total trust that her bodyguard was constantly watching over her and would alert her to any danger. She was completely at ease knowing that her mate had her back.

Isn’t this a beautiful picture of how God watches over us? And how we should respond by trusting Him?

Oh, that we would have such trust in God’s protection that, like that female goose, we wouldn’t even need to look up!

Let’s learn a lesson from the geese (who aren’t so silly after all):

Trust in your Sentinel!

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

© 2021 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.