Shield of Protection

When I was a child I loved watching Superman and Batman. They won over the bad guys. Nothing could stop their quest for goodness. Bullets could be fired, traps laid, but with their superpowers they beat the evil plans of their foes every single time. While such stories of Superman and Batman are make-believe, you and I have a reality of a super power at work in our lives. We, too, cannot be beaten when our super power is ignited. It’s all to do with our shield of protection.

David wrote in Psalm 5:11-12, But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them, that all who love Your Name may be filled with joy. For You bless the godly, O Lord; You surround them with Your shield of love (NLT). We can read this verse and be easily confused at first. We may ponder that God’s children aren’t always protected. They get sick, they are wounded, they are killed, they are falsely accused, they die of disease. How is any of that being protected? Such thoughts come when we make the mistake of putting our focus on the physical rather than the spiritual.

Jesus Himself said, Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul (Matthew10:28, NLT). You see, of course Christians can and do suffer physical ailments. Some are indeed killed for their faith in Jesus. Others are falsely accused, starved and tortured. Man can hurt man terribly, but is there still a super power at work? Oh, yes, because every child of God has within them the all powerful Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible for Him.

When our faith and trust could be shattered, the Holy Spirit whispers God’s truths into our minds, soothing us with the truth that Jesus will be our everything to get us through anything. We have the joy of the Lord within us in the most grievous of situations. We have God’s own peace soothing troubled waters in the storms of creeping doubts. We have God’s wisdom and His emotional strength to endure whatever; yes any hardship at all, that comes into our paths. When Satan shoots His fiery darts, we are protected by God’s Word reigning in our minds, and by God’s love for us, which is a shield that nothing can penetrate. This is why David could also write with certainty, When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You (Psalm 56:3, NLT).

When physical pains take hold, look to Jesus, for He will be your comfort. When emotional sorrows cause grief and hurt, look to Jesus, for He will hold you close. Jesus has not left us alone to fight our battles. He has given us the precious and unfailing gift of the Holy Spirit. When we are weak, because of our Father’s shield of love, we are fully protected from all attacks from demonic forces. Nothing is too hard for God; therefore, because of Him and through Him, nothing is too hard for us either. Let us go forward in the joy of the Lord, for it is indeed our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).