Love protects. It protects us much like a storm shelter. Here in Texas, we know about storms, particularly tornadoes. When the sirens sound, everyone takes cover. For a friend of mine, this means getting into the bathtub and covering up with mattresses. We seek shelter from the storm.

We know about the need for protection, especially as it relates to our hearts and minds. We don't like to be hurt, or rejected, or used. But living in this world puts us at risk. The hurt comes. Emotional pain and heartache hit. When they do, our hearts need to be covered and protected.

God's love is that shelter that protects us when the storms of life come our way. It casts away the fears and doubts that the troubles of this world bring. It squelches the accusations of the enemy. And it anchors our hearts and minds to God's grace and mercy.

The Greek word for protect means to "cover over in silence". It also means to cover with a roof. We need that, don't we? And that's what love does. It provides a covering of everlasting security.

We see this type of love in Genesis chapter nine. After the flood, Noah planted a vineyard. He drank the wine from the vineyard and got drunk. The text says he was "uncovered in his tent". Ham saw his father's nakedness. When he did, he ran out of the tent to broadcast the news to his brothers. That's what the world does. It exposes.

Ham's brothers acted differently. They took a big robe and laid it across their shoulders. They walked into their father's room backwards so they could not see, and they covered their father. That's a picture of what God's love does for you and me. Do we sin? Do we get trapped in things that we shouldn't get trapped in? Yes we do. Does God know about that? Absolutely. But does He expose it to the world? No. He covers it. He bears it. What a picture of love!

Peter knew that love. You can imagine the guilt and shame he felt after denying the Lord three times. Yet when Jesus met him on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he did not condemn Peter, or drag his sins out for all to see. Jesus' love protected Peter and lifted him out of his pain. Peter would later write, "Above all, love each other deeply as children of God who belong to Christ, who belong to one another. We should love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8).