PART 2 OF 3
I am a “retired” taekwondo instructor. When we sparred, we wore special gear to protect ourselves. We had helmets, chest protectors, gloves, and kicks. The gloves and kicks helped protect not only ourselves, but our opponent, while the helmet and chest protector gave some protection to our most vulnerable targets. We also had rules for safety. Areas like the back of the neck and the legs were off limits.
Sometimes it feels like the world specializes in hitting those areas of our lives we feel should be off limits. Our health. Our marriage. Our kids.
Those unexpected blows can send us reeling.
But God promises to be our shield.
Today we take another look at Psalm 3:3, the verse that helped me through some of my darkest days. It says:
But you, oh Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Read that first part again—“But you, oh Lord, are a shield around me.”
Oh, my friend, how I wish I could tell you those words mean God will guard us from any more hurt. But that is not His promise. In fact, we know from John 16:33 that “in this world you will have trouble.”
This world will certainly wound us, but a believer’s true life has been hidden in Christ Jesus, God’s fullest manifestation of His love and protection. And if my life is hidden in Christ, then he is literally the shield around me.
When I place my trust in Jesus, I gain spiritual realities that the world cannot touch.
- He gives me a peace others do not understand, for it is not of this world (John 14:27).
- He gives me joy that flows from him regardless of my circumstances (John 15:11).
- He gives me a new identity and new life that can never be taken away (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- And nothing can separate me from God’s great love (Romans 8:38-39).
These things, my friend, are shielded and sure in Christ Jesus.
My taekwondo gear was never able to fully protect me—there were gaps and ill-aimed blows to unprotected targets. But God provides us the better shield.
When life seems to be waging an all-out offensive against us, take heart. God loves His children; He promises to be a shield all around us. Not a shield we must wearily wield in front of ourselves, but a shield that surrounds our very being in the form of Jesus. Let us place our trust in him.
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