lean on Him... Psalm 28:7...

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 28:7 ESV

Strength... material or physical... personal or social or political...

When we lean on Him as our strength...

discover His strength... for every area of our life...

allow Him to shield us from whatever seems bigger than us...

our hearts grow in trust... because we find He is our help...

Our hearts exult... rejoice... triumph...

Our mouths fill with songs of thanks...

Let Him be your strength...

lean hard into Him...

trust in Him with all your heart...

be helped...

rejoice...

give thanks...

Amen...

a lesson... His shield of grace...

The word catching my attention yesterday... shield... has given me a new perspective today...

His shield of grace in my life... I've always thought of as a means to protect me from what I deserve... from the consequences of my own sin...

But after yesterday... I see it in a new light...

Someone or ones... sinned against me...
and what I found to be true...
His shield of grace...
saved others from me...!

Not only do we need to be shielded by His grace...
others need to be shielded by His grace from us...

When we stand behind His shield of grace...
fully aware of all He has saved us from...
fully away of what we deserve...
then when we are sinned against...
our response is filtered through His grace...

What we have received...
we are more willing to give to others...

Grace...

Who has He shielded from you...? by His grace...?

Thank-full today... Lord... for this picture of Your shield of grace...

one that not only protects me... but protects others... from me...

Amen and Amen...!

He is a Shield...

Already this morning... (it's 6:19...) I've come across the word... shield... three times... all in Scripture...

I've come to recognize... when a word... or phrase... comes up three times (sometimes more)... the Spirit is saying something... seeking my attention...

So I go back through the appearances of shield...

For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous;

you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:12 ESV

Reading it the first time... I noted... the only righteous... are those in Christ... His favor... His grace... a shield... protecting us from the consequence of sin... death...

Next came...

After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram

in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield;

your reward will be very great."

Genesis 15:1 ESV

The events before Abram's vision... a victory in battle... a blessing with bread and wine by Melchizedek king of Salem... priest of God Most High...

Following His words... the cutting of the covenant... promising Abram possession of the land... offspring more numerous than the stars... neither of which he had at the time...

This covenant cutting... a promise leading to Jesus... a descendant of Abraham... Prince of Peace... Priest of God Most High...

The third...

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 ESV

His Way... Jesus... perfect...

His Word... Jesus... proves true...

He... Jesus... a shield for all who take refuge in Him...

All this leads me back... to shalom shalom... perfect peace...

You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

When we keep our mind...

thoughts...

emotions...

will...

stayed on Jesus...

we shield our life...

with His grace...

salvation...

Way...

Truth...

He is an impenetrable SHIELD...

providing us perfect peace...

Shalom... Shalom...

Teach me... Lord... to live under the shield of faith...

keep my mind... thoughts... emotions...

stayed on You...

[Note... As I pulled out a card to send a friend... I had to laugh out loud... a fourth appearance of the word shield... all before 7 am... (see pic above)... we may not be finished with this word...] 

shield... a prayer...

The first verse  of the reading through... here is where I sit...

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.

Genesis 15:1 Amp

Who are You, Lord?... a question in the exercise to process the reading through... clearly answered...

...I am your Shield...

The word... Shield... leads me on a chase... to a definition that spoke...

Shield  Designed to provide a barrier between the body of a soldier and the weapon of his foe...

--- Tyndale Bible Dictionary

Who are You, Lord...? 

You are the barrier between Your people... 

...and the weapon of the foe...

The weapons of the foe... our enemy... include... lust... pride... arrogance... lies... greed... just to name a few...

But I believe the primary weapon... the enemy's weapon of choice... is fear... in all it's various forms... anxiety... panic... agitation... dread... consternation... worry...

This weapon paralyzes... prevents Believers from moving forward... causes faith to fail... trust to waver...

Here is where a loved one sits... battling... struggling... recently lost a round...

So today... I pray... intercede... on his behalf...

Father God... You know the heart I pray for... the one currently struggling... be his Shield... protect him from the weapons of the evil one... be his Barrier... against fear... anxiety... dread... cover him... with Your shield of shalom...

continued thoughts... of Him... as Shield...

Continued thoughts... on the wonder of Him as Shield... a protective barrier... a cover...

...your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:3

Such a protective shield... only possible because... He shed His blood...

He died for our sin... that we might enter into His life eternal... by faith...

This truth makes the way steady... when things are rocky... whether internal... or external...

...[Lord Jesus] took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people --- an agreement confirmed with my blood. ..."

1Corinthians 11:25 NLT

(emphasis added)

His blood confirms... the new covenant... the promise... between... us and God... the barrier... that brings... peace...

He stands... at our defense...

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You give me your shield of victory,

and your right hand sustains me;

you stoop down to make me great.

Psalm 18:35

Do you know Him as your shield...?

I pray you do...

[Related fare:

seeking refuge...]

seeking refuge...

A rocky start... to a short week...

A heart that rocks and rolls... as things have not gone as expected... short on essentials... a rearranging of appointments... a week filled with deadlines...

Who do I need You to be today... Lord...?

My Shield... a defense against the world... a protective barrier against the instability of my own heart...

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 28:7

Seeking refuge in the One... to whom nothing is a surprise...

He cannot be caught off guard...

Lord... today I seek refuge in You... my Shield...

fill my heart with joy... and songs of thanks...

I trust in You...