Shielded

Dear Friend,

Last week, my son stood in front of me and stated, “I am your shield.” He then began circling me tightly. His sister joined in, and I found myself being orbited by two laughing kids. I finally said, “Enough!” and had to get off the ride. This momma doesn’t do carnival rides as well as she used to. But I left that ride contemplating my son’s words. They echoed what God had spoken to my heart only days before.

Shortly after joining First Love, I came across Psalm 115. What grabbed my attention was the repetition I found in verses 9-11:

“…trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.” NKJV

This greatly encouraged me as I knew I was going to need help in this new endeavor - help from Joelle and Sarah and help from the Lord. For one thing, so much is done online. To many of you, technology is like speaking your native tongue. For me, well, it feels like (actually it IS) a middle-aged woman trying to learn a strange second language all the while forgetting the intricacies of her first one.

As I chewed on these things spoken to my heart, something else stood out. Saying someone is your help and shield (and meaning it!) is a bold thing to say. If I told my husband I was his shield, it’s hard to say which one of us would burst out laughing first. If I “shielded” him from anything, he would have to spend the next week nursing me back to health.

If you have children, you can fully relate to the following: my kids have “helped” me on numerous occasions. When they were younger, their “help” resulted in more work for me and minor mess explosions (“I’m helping Mommy!”). To truly help someone, you must know what their needs are and how to aid them. You also have to possess the capability to help and have access to resources.

As for the “shield” part, we are in a battle whether we want to be or not. Blows are coming. Having a shield is great and all, but if it isn’t between you and the battle, it’s just an extra burden to carry. It has to be in the right position and able to withstand the coming onslaught. It’s worth mentioning that even with a shield absorbing the majority of the blow and keeping us from destruction, we may still feel the impact of the attack or be knocked to the ground. But God will absorb enough of the attack so that we will not be destroyed.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. II Corinthians 4:7-8 NIV

Psalm 115 was making a bigger statement about God than I had originally grasped. God intimately knows how we need help and which battles we are individually facing. He IS our help. He IS our shield. We CAN trust Him.

Know that as you step into a life committed to and led by God, He will help you and shield you as you take your place on the line where He has called you.

Helped and Shielded,

Candace

P.S. How many times as parents do we help and shield our kids without them even realizing it?