God’s Promises for Families of Drug Addicts and AlcoholicsIhe Atụ

## God Will Always Protect You and Your Loved One Previously we looked at the way God promises us He will never leave us or our loved one. Today, we will look at how God always protects you and your loved one. Recently, I was in the car with my kids listening to VeggieTales when the song “Oh No, What We Gonna Do?” came playing through the speakers. This song is based on the story from Daniel 6. Many hear this story from a young age and forget the significance of it in our adult life, but take a moment to stop and think about the magnitude of this story. Daniel could have easily ignored the law and worshiped King Darius, but he didn’t. He kept his faith in God. Even though he knew the extreme consequences, he trusted that God would protect him, and guess what? God did. God protected him from not only one but several lions. I can’t imagine all the emotions and feelings Daniel had as he entered the lion's den, but he trusted and continued to pray, and God protected him. We continue to see God’s promise of protection throughout scripture with Isaac, Joseph, Jonah, Moses, and Paul, just to name a few. When addiction hits our homes, we can go to great lengths to try to protect our loved ones. We will do anything and everything we can to keep them safe, ultimately leading to enabling. We can forget we are not God. But we're not the ones who can fully protect them--only God can do that. I know it's extremely hard to let go because we can’t imagine our loved one sleeping on the streets or in a car, living in a drug house, going to prison, or possibly dying. But we must have faith like Daniel did and believe that God's plan of protection is greater than our own. As I think back to a time when my husband was active in his addiction, I see God’s protection many times. My husband’s drug of choice is alcohol. I know there were many times when he drove intoxicated, probably even with our children and me in the car, but God always brought us home safely. I am forever grateful for His protection during that time. Remember, God’s Word promises He will always protect you and your loved one. > “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 Today’s Challenge Pray and meditate on God’s Word and what He has promised us about His protection. Then reflect on the past and present on how you have seen God’s protection over you and your loved one.