Your Shield of Protection
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading:
But You, Lord, are a shield around me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head. (Psalm 3:3 NASB)
Have you ever received a comment, observation, or insinuation that left you feeling vulnerable or exposed?
Don’t you wish at times you had a protective shield you could hide behind, or at least have in front of you to catch those piercing arrows or darts, even the unintentional ones, that leave you feeling sad or defeated?
My daughter is an only child who has always been quite independent and never needy of a man in her life, and never feels alone until someone (who means well, of course) asks her if she’s “in a relationship yet.” And after they express their confidence that she’ll one day “find a husband and be happy,” she can tend to feel singled out as inadequate or incomplete, even though she’s very content with where God has her, and is not striving for a relationship.
A friend of mine who is recently divorced and knows a closeness with God she hadn’t experienced while married, will suddenly feel awkward and unprotected when someone mentions her “struggle” and expresses their sympathy—or judgment—for her predicament.
And a young mom I know feels isolated and alone when she faces a decision concerning her toddler that other moms might criticize or at least not agree with. When there doesn’t seem to be any right or wrong answer or anyone to walk her through the right answer for her situation, she feels inadequate and lacks confidence in either choice.
Oh, how you and I need a protective shield. Something to guard our hearts from even unintentional comments that feel like arrows piercing our hearts. And oh, how our God has already provided.
David sang in Psalm 3:3 (NIV): “You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.”
Our God is a shield of protection around us and the One who lifts our heads high when we would otherwise hang them low—feeling outnumbered, outclassed, outvoted, or just left out. Because He is a shield of protection around us, He enables us to hold our heads high in God-confidence.
David also sang in Psalm 5:12: “You bless the righteous person, Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.” That means God’s protective shield around us is also a shield of favor. Do you realize, as His child, you remain in a circle of God’s favor that protects you in ways you can’t imagine? In Psalm 139:5, David must’ve been describing God’s shielding circle around him when he sang, “You have encircled me behind and in front, and placed Your hand upon me.” God, as a protective enclosing shield, goes before us, moves alongside us, and guards our backs.
David continued his description of God as a shield in Psalm 7:10 when he sang: “My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.” God, Himself, is our shield.
And in Psalm 18, David described God as a shield of refuge when he said the God who is his rock, fortress, and deliverer, is also his “shield and the horn of [his] salvation, [his] stronghold” (verses 1-2). After describing God’s mighty rescue of him, David proclaims in verse 30: “As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” And in verse 35, David declares his personal praise to God as his shield of support when he sings, “You protect me with your saving shield. You support me with your right hand. You have stooped to make me great.” (NCV)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
When someone says something to make us feel awkward, isolated, or alone, you and I don’t have to stoop down to their level for a cutting comeback or wilt inside with a sense of awkwardness, embarrassment, or shame. God has already stooped for us and toward us to be our shield and protector. In the New English Translation, the end of verse 35 reads: “You give me your protective shield; your right hand supports me. Your willingness to help enables me to prevail.”
The God of this Universe is willing to help you. And just by knowing that, you and I are enabled to prevail, press forward, and persevere on the path He has placed us on.
Go to the book of Psalms in your Bible and highlight every time God is described as a “shield.” I found more than a dozen descriptions of Him as a shield, and it encouraged my heart and made me feel strong and protected.
Remember your shield of protection wherever you go, whatever you do, whatever you may hear.
Further Reading:
Psalm 84:11
Psalm 91:4
For more on connecting more closely with God, your shield, see my books, The New Loneliness and The New Loneliness Devotional.
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: Pawel Czerwinski
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