Shield and Defender

 Before I got out of bed this morning, I asked, "Lord, what specifically do You want to be for me today?"  And I asked that the answer would be something that wouldn't necessarily pop up out of my own store of likely suggestions.  The response that came to mind was "Your shield and defender."

Oh!  Yup, that was unexpected.  

So I immediately wondered if I would be facing something especially dangerous or challenging today.  Should I be worried?

It's true, there is this enemy of my soul who is constantly lurking around, looking for opportunities to take me down completely.  He is "as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).  We are all at war, always.  That's why we have the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-18).

But I should definitely not worry if God Himself is my shield and defender.

I found a lot of verses to that effect but I'll give just a few here (all from the New American Standard Bible).

Psalm 28:7 says, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore, my heart triumphs, and with my song I shall thank Him.

Psalm 27:1…”The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the defence of my life; whom should I dread?

2 Samuel 22:3…My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Saviour, You save me from violence.”

Having grown up on hymns, they frequently come to mind, and with the verses I was reading, the grand anthem “O Worship the King” started singing itself in my head.  Here are just 2 of its stanzas:

O worship the King, all glorious above,

O gratefully sing His power and His love;

Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,

Pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail.

Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,

Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend.

Here's hoping that this will be a bit of encouragement for you to lean back and rest in the love and power of the God who is our shield and defender.  Not just today.  Always.