The LORD is my strength and my shield
Ps 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
“I can do it…” “I’ll get through this...” Have you ever said something like that? I’ve made statements like that many times. If I didn’t say it out loud, I have thought it and acted accordingly. Sometimes, I’m able to get through on my own strength and other times I completely fail with total awareness that my strength was no match for what I was facing.
“I’m not worried…” “I’m covered for that…” I can recall times when I’ve either approached circumstances believing I’m “covered” or can “recover.” Sometimes I have been taken care of and rebounded. Other times, the shields I hoped would protect me have failed and I’ve not fully recovered. Those experiences are a reminder of how fleeting my strength and shields really are and a sense of hopelessness and even purposelessness can set in.
David writes in Ps 28:7 that “the Lord” was his strength and his shield. David also depended on his own strength and shields, succeeding and failing over the course of his life. As a successful military commander and King, I’m sure that he knew very well the limits of a man’s strength and his shield. Would David enter the battlefield weak, without a shield, just depending on the Lord for strength and shielding? I doubt it. David learned what part he played and what part the Lord plays. David learned to engage in the battle with the Lord. How are we doing? Are we depending solely on our own strength and shields or do we trust the Lord?
Is there a better outcome if we do depend on the Lord’s strength and shielding? YES. Are we able to do super-human feats whenever we want? Are we protected from every possible attack? NO. The disciples suffered by fleshly standards. They too would have said, “The Lord was their strength and shield.” When we say the Lord is our strength and shield, we are calling Him into our life’s experiences. Walking with Him is far better than any possible outcome we achieve without Him.
Sam Johns
The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
“The Lord is my strength and shield…”
“I can do it…” “I’ll get through this...” Have you ever said something like that? I’ve made statements like that many times. If I didn’t say it out loud, I have thought it and acted accordingly. Sometimes, I’m able to get through on my own strength and other times I completely fail with total awareness that my strength was no match for what I was facing.
“I’m not worried…” “I’m covered for that…” I can recall times when I’ve either approached circumstances believing I’m “covered” or can “recover.” Sometimes I have been taken care of and rebounded. Other times, the shields I hoped would protect me have failed and I’ve not fully recovered. Those experiences are a reminder of how fleeting my strength and shields really are and a sense of hopelessness and even purposelessness can set in.
David writes in Ps 28:7 that “the Lord” was his strength and his shield. David also depended on his own strength and shields, succeeding and failing over the course of his life. As a successful military commander and King, I’m sure that he knew very well the limits of a man’s strength and his shield. Would David enter the battlefield weak, without a shield, just depending on the Lord for strength and shielding? I doubt it. David learned what part he played and what part the Lord plays. David learned to engage in the battle with the Lord. How are we doing? Are we depending solely on our own strength and shields or do we trust the Lord?
Is there a better outcome if we do depend on the Lord’s strength and shielding? YES. Are we able to do super-human feats whenever we want? Are we protected from every possible attack? NO. The disciples suffered by fleshly standards. They too would have said, “The Lord was their strength and shield.” When we say the Lord is our strength and shield, we are calling Him into our life’s experiences. Walking with Him is far better than any possible outcome we achieve without Him.
Sam Johns
