Any normal, healthy child desires security and affection. Children are small, compared to the rest of the world, and they very soon perceive their limitations. Thus, they naturally have a desire to be protected from the things that would do them harm. God, in his infinite wisdom, provided parents in the normal household situation to fulfill that function of protection.

A good parent lets his or her children know that they are special. They will receive displays of affection that others do not get. They are protected under the roof of their father, which benefit visitors do not receive on a regular basis. They can know and feel, “This is my home. This is the place where I belong.” They will be able to snuggle against their parents in such a way that they are made to feel safe and secure.

One of the saddest things we can observe are those children who have been displaced by the various tragedies of life so that they do not have a home; they have no regular place where they can lay their head at night with some degree of comfort and security. This is what David is asking of the Lord. “Provide for me the special protection and comfort that children should be able to expect from their parents.”

God, of course, does for us just what David petitioned Him to do. Human fathers and mothers may fail in their duties and in their natural affections. In fact, Isaiah says that it can even happen that a woman would forget her sucking child; but God will not forget his children. As he says, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” – not written us there, but engraved our names on his eternal hands. None can pluck us from that situation, and we are eternally safe there.