During the years of my childhood, my father was a traveling evangelist. Though our life was not extravagant, our parents still made sure we had fun along the way.

Between speaking engagements, if we were near the ocean, a beach-day was sure to happen. We sometimes visited historical sites or an amusement park.

Back then, a trip to the zoo was always cheap entertainment. Our family visited zoos in many locations, over the years. In the process, I developed an infatuation with zookeepers. I am not sure that I have told this to anyone before—you may be the first.

Surely, I am not the only child who thought working at the zoo would be the coolest job in the world. Those zookeepers had a way of making it look spectacular, spending their days keeping, guarding, and observing the beautiful creatures seen within the zoo’s confines.

Today, I realize it cannot be all glamorous working with lions, tigers, and bears, or animals, period. It is bound to get messy, at times. Then there are the necessary safety protocols, leading these keepers to sign their lives away for the job.

Here is where I make a turn in this story. Let me apologize if this comes across as offensive, but do you know we, too, have a keeper? And, yes, considering how the world is going, it seems we need one.

We do need a keeper, but not because we are like the animals, though some may behave like it, at times. Friend, we require a keeper because we have chosen a way of living that is NOT of this world.

As Christians, we are called to be different (see 1 Peter 2.9, Eph. 2.10, Romans 12.2). We have committed to the ways of our Father in heaven as outlined for us in Scripture. And though we have decided to live for God, the mess of this world does not simply pass us by.

We still encounter pain, disappointment, illness, and one day, death will find us. But thank God, He has provided for us a Keeper.

Psalm 121 speaks of the Keeper of Israel, God’s people of old. The Hebrew word šāmar (meaning to keep, watch over, or guard) appears six times in this short chapter. The promises found in this psalm are for you and me, as well, and should encourage us.

·        He who keeps you will not slumber. (v. 3)

·        The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade [defense] on your right hand. (v. 5)

·        The Lord will protect [keep] you from all evil; He will keep your soul. (v.7)

·        The Lord will guard [keep] your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (v. 8)

Yes, this was a declaration of who God was to the nation of Israel, but also a prophetic foretelling of a Keeper to come.

Throughout the New Testament, the Greek word for keep is used primarily in relation to what the Lord expects of His followers. One example is Jesus’ words in John 12.47, “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

In the book of Jude, however, we find keep in the middle of a hopeful promise from God to those who believe in His Son. This promise is not meant for this life only, but for the life that is to come.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy…” (v.24)

We have a Keeper who has promised to keep us both now and until the day we see Him face to face.

So, whatever may cause you to stumble—doubt, fear, temptation, confusion, disobedience, hesitation—you have a Keeper who is able to keep you! This is incredibly good news!

Today, we are living in a season of stumbling. Let us try to not get caught-up in that mess. How do we do it? Stay in the Word of God. Live in an attitude of worship. Lean into the promises of God.

And remember, you have a Keeper. His name is Jesus, and He has promised to see you through to the end.