Anchored in Hope

    

    

Ps 119:114

 

114 You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in Your word.

NKJV

 

Panic rooms- a safety precaution for the rich and privileged.  I am told that they are reinforced and provide safety during a home invasion.  Since I have never been rich nor privileged, I have often thought about what I would do if someone broke in.  Usually my plan involved a locked door, furniture in front of it, a telephone and a gun.  But never have I envisioned any of that truly working.

I am so grateful that I do have a fail-safe hiding place!  I can trust the Lord to hide and protect me.  I can take comfort in knowing that nothing will come my way unless He allows it, and He always cares for me and my best interest.  He is my defense; He is my safety!

As times become increasingly frightening, even a Christian can find their mind taken up with worries about what will become of us before Christ returns. There are so many frightening contingencies that can occur.  And yet, we cannot stay in peace and dwell on those things.  Rather, we have to hope in the Lord and see Him as our hiding place, and a shield against the onslaught of the enemy. 

Believers must hope in the Word of God.  That is our sure foundation, our rock, and our fortress.   No matter how opinions, laws or trends in religion vacillate, his Word remains constant.  We can anchor ourselves into the Bedrock of Truth, and we will not be moved. 

 

Dear Lord, only You know what tomorrow holds.  You know every event yet to occur.  I put my trust in you.  Hide me, O Lord,  and defend me  as I anchor myself to the truth of Your Word.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Piercing the Darkness with the Sun

    

 

 For the Lord  God is a sun and shield;

 The Lord  will give grace and glory;

 No good thing will He withhold

 From those who walk uprightly. Ps 84:11 (NKJV)

 

There are so many wonderful descriptive words used to refer to our glorious God.  Today's verses have a couple of lesser used terms -a sun and a shield.   I look forward to the new heavens and new earth where Jesus will be our sun as described in Rev. 21:22-23:  

 

22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,* for the   glory* of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. (NKJV)

What a marvelous light!  There have been a lot of rainy days over the last few weeks.  Many people in our area agreed that it had been the most uninterrupted rainy days in most people's remembrance.  Many of us commented that day after day of gloomy, stormy weather, where there was no visible sunlight, resulted in gloominess and depression of mood.  We just thrive more when we are exposed to the sun of His Glory.  Thankfully, there is no darkness that He cannot conquer.  No oppressive blackness that he cannot illuminate with the brilliance of His majesty.

 

It also says that He is our shield- Thank God!  He covers us from the fiery darts of our enemy.  He raises a standard to drive back assaults from the evil one.  He provides both our light and our protection.  And yet, that is still only a small glimmer of one facet of His vast greatness.

 

I am devoid of anything gracious or glorious in my natural personality.  If it were not for the redeeming grace of God, I cannot fathom what my life would be like.  I have not yet arrived to all that I hope to attain in Him.  I will continue to journey towards His perfection as long as I live.  But I am encouraged and heartened to know that he will keep giving grace and glory to me.  I do not deserve glory, and yet He chooses to use me to display His glory against the lackluster backdrop of my frail humanity. 

 

I am so grateful to know that he will not withhold anything good from us who walk uprightly before Him.  There have been days that I have struggled with seeing the good He is brining my way.  At times, I am ashamed to admit, I have wondered if He no longer desired to bless me.  But according to this verse, it is just no so!  If it is good for us, pleasing, in His will, and a blessing, He will not deny us from having it.  Results delayed do not necessarily mean  results denied.

 

Do you need Him to pierce the darkness?  Do you need protection from the enemy of your soul?  Are you in need of a greater measure of His grace and glory?  Are there some "good things" you are trusting God for?  Look up!  He is Your Source.  Call on Him.  He will answer.

 

 

Putting out the Enemy’s Fire

“In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  Ephesians 6:16

 

Faith is an invaluable spiritual commodity.  By faith we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.  By faith we believe all of the promises in the Bible.  By faith we pray to God, bringing our petitions and requests for healing, deliverance, direction and help to the Lord.  Faith is so powerful, that the Bible declares that “without faith it is impossible to please God.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

The Roman’s soldiers shield was believed to have been made by leather or animal hides and the night before a battle the soldiers would soak it in water to make it saturated to the point that it would extinguish the flaming arrows (arrows on fire) which some of their enemies would shoot at them. Additionally, the shields would be rubbed with oil to make it supple to glance blows off of it.  In the Bible, oil is often used as a type of the Holy Spirit.  When you put it all together, it is a powerful analogy.  Faith, bathed in the oil of the Holy Spirit, soaked by the washing of the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26) will turn away all the efforts of the enemy to destroy us with his arrows.

What kinds of arrows do you face today?  Is it unkind words that have been spoken about you?  Is it a negative prognosis that has been spoken over you?  Is it divorce or losing your job?  No matter what evil the enemy throws at you- you have a powerful defensive weapon at your disposal.  You can believe, standing in faith that God will defend you.

Dear Lord, help me to take up my shield of faith.  Help me to tend it with the oil of the Holy Spirit and the saturation with the water of the Word.  Thank you for giving me the authority to extinguish the darts of the enemy.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Help Wanted

“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

There are days that I just go bankrupt- I have no strength within myself.  I am so grateful that when I hit a wall He is there to give me what I need.  His strength is not based on the limitations of humanity, but rather, is defined by his supernatural power and strength.

This verse goes on to acknowledge the Lord as my shield.  He takes the bullets for me.  He stands between me and my enemy.  He blocks me from the fiery darts of the enemy and preserves my life, my heart, my mind and my soul. I am so glad that in Him I can find insulation from the storms in this life. 

He is your strength and shield as well.  And as you commit your heart to trust in Him, you will find that you are helped.  Whatever kind of help you need- finances; friendship; healing; love; acceptance; favor; He has unlimited help to offer to any situation in life that you may be facing.

With the knowledge that He is all those things to us- strength, shield and help; we can experience the joy in our hearts that the psalmist is describing.  And ultimately we find ourselves bursting forth with praise to such a loving and intimate God.

Dear Lord, thank you for the words penned in this verse.  Thank you that you are my strength, protector and help.  Lord I need you to come  on the scene in the situations that are heavy on my heart.  Help my heart to trust in you all the more.  In Jesus’ Name I pray.  Amen.

Sherri

Surrounded with Favor

“For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as a shield.” 

Psalm 5:12

How could we make it through one day without the blessings of the Lord?  Our salvation, our health, our family, our job, our home, our vehicle, our friends, our clothes, every small thing we possess is a gift from our Creator.  He willingly bestows blessings on us, lavishing us with His love each day.

Many days I need the favor of God.  Favor is defined as kindness, approval, and friendly regard by a superior.  Aren’t you glad today, that God surrounds you with favor?  So much so that it serves as a shield around you!  It protects you from potential blows and hardship.  His favor causes people to like us, to think the best of us and to want to go out of their way for us.

I have a friend in my life that just oozes the favor of God.  Everyone I meet who is a mutual acquaintance always says “Oh, you know ____, don’t you just love her?  She is so sweet! She is just the best!”  And she is.  But I recognize too that the favor of God rests on her, giving people friendly regard for her everywhere she goes.

Today as she you face the circumstances of your day, expect the favor of God to surround you as a shield.  On the job, when talking to the insurance company, when returning a defective item… it does not matter the circumstance, if you are a child of God and are trying to live righteously before him, this is a reality you should enjoy!

“Dear Lord, go before me today.  Pour favor over me with everyone I come in contact with.  Protect me with your favor and be glorified in all I do.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri