Evil Defeated (Part 4)

Psalm 3:3 “But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.”  

September 11, 2001 will always be etched in my mind. I was eating breakfast and watching the news when I saw the second plane fly into the tower. I saw the people jumping from the buildings and watched helplessly as other damage was done to the Pentagon. I remember the stories of heroism from our first responders and even passengers who sacrificed their lives crashing a plane in a field rather than letting it do more damage to another city. Personally, it was the first time in my life that I was gripped by a spirit of fear for our nation.

On that day and every since I praise God more and more for being our shield. The word “shield” means to protect, guard, defend, shelter, and screen. God protects us from harm’s way, guards us from danger, defends us against accusations, shelters us when we are weak, and screens everything that comes our way. Nothing can touch us until it goes through God’s screening process first.

Many of us have had the scary experience of a rock hitting our windshield. The windshield protected us from being hurt. Our homes shelter us from the elements of nature , such as rain, snow, extreme heat, and cold. But there is no shelter, no protector, like God Himself. The verse Deuteronomy 33:27 is a wonderful comfort to me:

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

There may be times in your life when you feel like you have been hit by a ton of bricks. Believe it or not, that experience had to first go through God’s screening process. And His screening process is more accurate than that of any airport security system! Painful experiences do help us to trust God more. In these evil days remind yourself from the Word:

Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” 

Psalm 119:114 “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” 

Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”