“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast” (Psalm 36:6).

Preservation is a term used to describe God’s continued maintenance over all He has created. Wherever there is any created thing, God is not only there in knowledge, but also in presence maintaining it. This truth is clearly seen in Nehemiah 9:6. “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.” Paul stated this truth thusly, “And He (Christ) is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (or, are held together) (Colossians 1:17). Not only are the things of nature held together by Christ, but our very breath is under His control. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

The doctrine of preservation becomes ever more beautiful when we examine it in the life of the believer.

“Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1). “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:7,8). Because of God’s preserving power, the evils that come during the day or night will not overcome the believer.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians 5:23). Jude writes, “to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ” (v.1). Our salvation, both now and forever, is absolutely secure through God’s continued preservation. NPS