Protect in Place

John 17:14-17
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
NKJV

I don't know about you but this brings me comfort and trouble at the same time. Jesus is praying to the Father here, and He is praying that God shouldn't take us out of this world, shouldn't remove us from our present trouble, should not snatch us up out of the difficult situation we are in. But instead for Him to protect us where we are, to "protect in place".
This is a term we use in fire safety training. It means we remove the people out of immediate danger and fight the fire with the people still in the building but in a safe place.
Jesus is asking the Father to leave us here in a safe place, while He fights the fire.
Now more than ever we need to trust in the Lord to be our protection in the fires of life. Know that He will wrap His loving arms around us and keep us safe, but we are staying in the building. He is our shelter, He is our protection, He is our refuge in the storm.
More often than I care to admit, I have said to the Lord,"just take me now" but He never does, and I always seem to survive most times without a scratch or a burn. And the scratches that I do get only come when I try to protect myself against the enemy attacks.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.