In the Word: God is My Shield
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying Psalm 18:1-2 together. Psalm 18 was penned by David after God had delivered Him from the hands of his enemies, and is rich with metaphors describing the nature and character of God. In this series, we will be looking at how each of these attributes affords us a greater picture of God’s care for His children, and how knowing and believing these truths can bring comfort to our hearts in the midst of grief. As we study together, we encourage you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you study these names of God along with us!
GOD IS MY SHIELD
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Psalm 18:1-2
READ:
The Lord is my shield. A buckler. He is my defense and my protector. What does this mean when it feels like He doesn’t protect? What does it mean when it feels as though grief may indeed overwhelm and overtake you?
David pens these words after God has delivered him from the hands of his enemies and then goes on to paint, in the most stunning detail, a picture of God coming for him. He speaks of the cosmic battle being played out that he could not see in the middle of his own distress. His declaration and description is hindsight. Often we cannot see God’s answer to our prayers for protection in the middle of the storm. And all we can do is cry out like David.
“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help.”
Psalm 18:6
Fresh in my grief after the loss of my first two daughters, I often wondered if God was listening to my cries for help. I wondered if He would protect me from the pain, and questioned what it meant that He was my shield in the first place. It seemed as if the arrows of darkness did not ricochet off of my shield, but instead penetrated all the way through.
David, no doubt, wondered the same things when he wrote about how “the cords of death encompassed [him] and the snares of death surrounded [him]” (Psalm 18:4,5). It was in the middle of the raging battle that he cried for help. Sometimes, when the battle is raging all around us, all we can see is the enemy of darkness waging war against our soul. The shield of God’s protection can feel invisible.
But the promise is that He is our shield. The promise is that He will protect us. Not maybe, not hopefully, but definitely. David was able to recognize the fullness of God’s protection as he looked back. He was amazed at how God had indeed come for him, how God had met him in the darkness and delivered him.
When death invades our lives, there is a war for our hearts that surrounds us. It’s a battle to believe what is true about who God is in our broken world. God did not protect me from experiencing the loss of a child. We are not immune to suffering and loss in this life, but we have a God who will not let the darkness swallow us whole. We have a God who comes for us and meets us in our pain, just as He came for David, and He is fighting off the flaming missiles of the evil one in unseen ways.
I could not see how God was coming for me in those early months and years of grief, but I can see now how God was protecting me. I can see how God was at work in the darkest parts of my life—how He has and continues to answer my cry for help. He protects when we cannot see. He shields us from those flaming missiles. Death does not and will not have the final say. Of this we can be sure.
REFLECT:
- Read Psalm 18. What does this chapter teach us about God’s character? What can you learn about how God responds to our cries for help from the imagery David uses?
- What can we learn from Ephesians 6:16 about the shield that God has given us?
- According to Hebrews 12:2, who sustains our faith? What does this teach us about God’s protection?
JOURNAL:
In what ways has God been a shield for you in grief? What areas in your life do you need to continue to ask for His help and protection? Take a moment to be honest with God about how you feel about Him as your protector, and ask Him in faith to help and deliver you in the middle of the battle you are facing.
- Lindsey
Hope Mom to Sophie and Dasah
Hi! I’m Lindsey. I live in Orlando, Florida with my stud of a husband Kevin. We have 3 incredible children, Sophie and Dasah who now live with Jesus and Jaden who came into our lives through adoption. We have a very energetic golden retriever and love living in the sunshine state. I get to spend my days loving on my son, investing my life in college students here through a non-profit organization we’re a part of and when I have time, writing on my blog about the hope that doesn’t disappoint!
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emiliano naval jr
May 18, 2020 (2:53 pm)
i have read this blog and appreciate the goodness of God in time of need, now we have this covid crisis and God protected all of us in our family even in our locality. we just hope and trust God’s will. thank you and God bless.
America Streeter
October 25, 2020 (1:59 pm)
I’m glad I stumbled on this post. My 17-year old brother passed away last month due to a tragic accident. I was copying down Psalm 3 today and I had a hard time writing that God was my shield. I don’t feel protected because I’ve been exposed to the deepest pain and grief I’ve ever felt. How is that protection? I did some cross-referencing on that particular verse and the word “shield” just wasn’t sitting well with me. So I googled what it means for God to be our shield and your post came up. It really helped me to unpack that term a bit, especially your Ephesians and Hebrews references. I’ll be copying those next. I’m sorry for the loss of your daughters, and I thank you for writing this post.