Recently, I’ve had parents of prodigals tell me that in their distress they turned back to old habits for comfort, things they turned to for comfort before they began serving the Lord. What they found was shame and regret, and those old habits became bondage to them once again.

I know this journey of loving and praying for a prodigal is hard: keeping faith when you don’t see change, praying one more prayer, grieving for relationship and time lost and delayed dreams, so very sad for the pain their choices cause them and us, fearing for their very lives, fearing for their eternity.

That is why Jude 24 is so very important. It is a promise to us, even in—and especially in—the middle of it all: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (NKJV). The next verse points to who makes this possible: “To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”

Colossians 1:21-22 tells us Jesus died so He could “present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight”; and Ephesians 5:25-27 says He died so He could “present [us] to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

If you’ve flown in a commercial airplane, you’ve heard flight attendants advise that in the event of depressurization in the plane, you should put your oxygen mask on before assisting others. This ensures that you will actually be able to assist others. Perhaps, when we are struggling so desperately that we are actually tempted to revert to sin/bondage for (fake) comfort, we should see it as an alarm to stop fighting just long enough to help ourselves by meditating on who God is—wise, glorious, majestic, dominating, sovereign, powerful always—and who is able to keep us from falling. That way we will be in a condition to continue the fight without hindrance.

I am not suggesting weeks or even days. I am suggesting we take some time to get in the presence of God, worship Him, remember who He is, remember and thank Him for what He’s done, “building [ourselves] up on [our] most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20), not leaving His presence until we are ready and able to endure, to press, to persist in the fight for them. I am suggesting we not let it slide until another time. It will shield us from falling.

We can live without sin. We can keep the course. We can keep the faith. We don’t have to lose out. God has provided shields to protect us: salvation (Psalm 18:35), truth (Psalm 91:4), faith (Ephesians 6:16), and God Himself (2 Samuel 22:31), protecting our hearts, minds, walk with the Lord, and even everything!

We can trust Him to keep us from falling.

Do you trust Him? Do you trust the One who said, “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5); the One who “leads [you] in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3); the One of whom the psalmist said, “You are my hiding place and my shield” (Psalm 119:114)?

We can truly trust Him to keep us, because He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

We can actually rejoice because we trust God, and always shout joyfully because we are defended by God Most High (Psalm 5:11).

God can keep us in line with Him, in relationship with Him, walking in peace and rest. He is our “shield, [our] exceedingly great reward’” (Genesis 15:1).