God has promised us His safety as His children. Psalm 91 is a beautiful chapter describing the safety and shelter we find in God. As the world grows daily more wicked, the reassurance of God’s protection is needed now more than ever it seems.
I was reading just the first four verses the other day, the last part of verse four struck a chord in me.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (emphasis added) Psalm 91:1-4 KJV
His truth is our shield. So many times, people try to protect themselves from pain or calamity – with denial, excuses, and often lies. Sometimes they construct the facade for others, and sometimes, they build up a false view of themselves to their own selves. It can be tempting when faced with something we don’t like about ourselves to try to cover it over or defend it in order to shield ourselves from pain.
God has been teaching me about the opposite way to protect ourselves. Lies, self-denial, and/or excuses don’t protect – they just create more of a disaster for you to deal with. Instead, when someone says something agonizingly true about you, or what you did, or attacks you, what can quench the fiery darts? Run to the light, run to the truth, there is no angle to attack you there.
“You did such and such!”
“Yes, I did and I apologize. I’m doing such and such to address it.”
What more can they do? Yes, they can be angry about it, but really, you’ve taken all of the sting out of it because you yourself have admitted the truth (and thus removed the reason to “fight” about it). Jesus said for us to “agree with your adversary quickly.”
“Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.” Matthew 5:25 NKJV
There is also a protection in that agreement, lest they be right and you be punished (to put it in my own words.)
There are so many blessings of using His truth as our shield.
We become stronger by facing the truth about ourselves. No longer is our spiritual growth stunted as we try to protect ourselves from admitting our sins, shortcomings, or failings, but we can have “ears to hear” what God speaks to us for our growth, and to speed us along our journey.
We become shielded from the lies of the dark that say we are worthless, no good, of no value, keep messing up, are stupid, should be better, and so on, and so on. Why? Because God’s truth says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (see Ps. 139), that we have great value – bought with a price (see 1 Cor. 6:20), can do all things through Christ (Phil. 4:13), have nothing to fear because He is with us (Isa. 41:10), we are greatly inconceivably loved (1 Jn. 4:19), He will never leave us (Matt. 28:20), and on and on.
We cannot be deceived with our mind filled with God’s truth. With that Truth, we have Jesus, who is that Truth, and then we have everything.
The next time you are faced with something painful or hear fearful thoughts try to run through your mind, fill your mind with God’s Truth, the Voice that vanquishes the foe, the darkness, the lies instantly. Read God’s Word, remember His Promises, call on Him. If someone accuses you, and it’s true, fear not, and face the truth. If it is not true, then God has promised to defend us (Rom. 8:33).
With God’s Truth as our shield, we have nothing to fear.
– B. Payne
