Kevin and the 91st psalm

Kevin liked the Bible. He especially liked the fact that he could use the Bible to help him wherever he was—at school, or when he was playing with friends, or even when he was crossing the street.

In Sunday School one day, Kevin's class was going to talk about Psalm 91. The book of Psalms was one of Kevin's favorite parts of the Bible. A psalm is actually a song that thanks God for all the good things He does. Kevin quickly opened his Bible. He wanted to be the first one to find Psalm 91. This psalm is all about how God gives us strength and protects us.

Kevin and the other kids read each verse and then thought about what it was telling them. Kevin almost jumped off his chair when they came to the verse that says, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler" (Ps. 91:4 ). For the very first time, he realized that God was always there, always taking care of him. So Kevin could trust God to protect him. He could feel safe every minute.

Kevin thought this was a really good feeling to have. Feeling safe in God was like snuggling under the warm feathers of a quilt on a cold night.

Katie, one of the other kids in class, wondered if Jesus thought about the 91st psalm when he and his friends were out in a boat during a storm. (You can read about this in the book of Mark, in chapter 4.) The Bible says there that Jesus' friends were very afraid about the big storm. But lesus wasn't. He talked to the waves. "Peace, be still," he said. After he said that, the wind stopped, and it was calm. The storm had ended. Everyone was safe.

Jesus knew that God was his Father. And that God loved and cared for him — and for all of them. That's why lesus felt safe in the storm.

When Kevin left Sunday School that day, he was so excited that he ran up the stairs two at a time. He couldn't wait to get home to tell his parents about what he'd learned. The friends who were driving him home were glad to see him smiling so much.

When they stopped at his house, Kevin quickly said goodbye, jumped out of the car, and ran behind it to cross the street. He was in such a hurry that he didn't notice the taxi coming toward him on the other side of the street. He ran straight into the side of it.

At first Kevin didn't realize what had happened. He was still thinking about the 91 st psalm. Right at that very moment he thought: "God is my Father. God is loving me. I am safe."

The taxi driver got out and ran toward him.

"I didn't see you coming," he said. "I don't know how I missed running over you! Are you all right?" he asked.

Kevin told the man that he was fine. He also told his friends that he was OK. Everyone was glad to hear this. They waited until Kevin walked over to his house.

When he got indoors, his leg was bleeding. His parents cleaned it. In a day or two, his leg was completely healed.

The next Sunday, Kevin told his teacher and friends what had happened.

He said: "God was with me all the time. He protected me. He helped me. Just like the 91st psalm says. I never felt afraid. I felt safe."

After class Kevin wanted to hop up and down like a kangaroo. He was so happy. Now he knew what it felt like to be loved and cared for by God.