by Martha June

“This God-his way is perfect, the word of the Lord proves true, he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him”.

Psalm 18:30

Psalm 18 is prefaced in my Bible as follows-

“To the chiormaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:”

On THE DAY that David was delivered from ALL of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, he wrote the words of Psalm eighteen. It is a song filled with “nuggets” of spiritual truth for each of us, but verse thirty stuck out to me the most. The line that says “…he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him” took my face in its hypothetical hands and told me to look and reflect on its significance.

I was struck by how David described God’s character as a shield. This is an aspect of God’s character that I have not thought critically about; in fact, I have breezed over that in the Psalms. I have regarded God as my protector but not my shield. My knowledge of the hand-to-hand combat of Biblical times is strictly Hollywood’s interpretation and the Illiad and the Odessey. In The Hobbit, Thorin Oakensheild was known famously for using an oak shield to protect him from his enemy’s blows. Because obviously, that is what a shield is for. I have watched the movies and read the books; they all show the same thing. First, the shield is held by its bearer. Second, it goes in front of the soldier; thirdly, it is the first form of defense against an enemy.

Google has a definition of a shield. However, the best part of the definition lies in its description of the vessel’s use. “…used as protection against blows or missiles.” A shield is self-explanatory, but have I ever thought of God as my shield? In a literal sense?

Often when I think of God as my protector, I assume that he will keep me from all pain. And when I feel pain, I feel God somehow has betrayed me. But when I think critically about what a shield indeed does, I realize it is a shock absorber. The person holding the shield can still feel a shift from the blow, often continually readjusting their position for the shield to take the brunt of the force. The shield’s bearer may be bruised and beaten around, maybe even injured. But, the shield typically stops the object intending to do permanent harm.

My battle with loneliness has brought me to the Lord in frustration and pain over the years. And yet, I can look back on friendships or potential relationships that slipped through my fingers and say truthfully, God was my shield. I still felt pain from the loss or absence of someone, but God shielded me from a far greater pain by orchestrating my circumstances the way he did. I had to accept the pain of a shift, and rejoice, be it later that he stood in front of me to protect me from something that could have caused me more profound and long-lasting harm.

We naturally are questioning people, our favorite being “why?” I have gone to God on many occasions with that exact question, and rarely is that question answered immediately, if ever. But sometimes, years later, God gives me clarity on a past situation, and all I can do is thank him for protecting me even when I did not like it at the time..

In this Psalm, David glorifies the Lord for shielding him from death by his enemies. David felt the pain of being chased by Saul for years, on the run. But he did not die. Arguably the book of Job shows God as Job’s shield. He allowed pain to touch Job in every aspect of his life, and Job asked, “why?” too. And yet, what Job did not know is that God shielded him from death. Job still felt the pain of a shift but was spared the most tremendous pain.

As Christians, we also have been spared from lasting and eternal pain. Jesus was our savior and shield from death. Jesus acted as the ultimate shield- his blood is on the doorpost of our souls, saving us from slavery to sin and eternal damnation. God has a history of fighting for his people. Even before we knew who he was.

“And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you only need be silent”.

Exodus 14:13-14

We will experience pain in this life, which is guaranteed. But if we decide to make God our refuge in times of trouble, like David and Job, we can trust that God will act. A shield against the enemy because he has already gone before us to the cross. For you to find protection here, there must be obedience. After all, each soldier has to pick up their shield and wield it in battle. It is not enough to think a shield will protect them and go into battle without it. Paul, in the book of Ephesians, tells us to pick up our “shield of faith.”

“In all circumstances take up the sheild of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one…”

Ephesians 6:15

Daily I need to trust that the Lord has my best interests at heart, even amidst disappointment or pain. I will trust in the shield of the almighty and rely on its protection as I walk through this world. I want to make a conscious decision to have faith that the Lord will provide for my needs.

Will you take refuge in the Lord? And will you trust that he will care for you no matter what?

“And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord”.

Job 1:21

What has the Lord shielded you from? Thank him today for that protection.

Sincerely,

Martha June