My strength and shield
Reading the Psalms helps me deepen the significance of my relationship with God. They add perspective which my eyes can’t see and then open them for truth which pours into my soul. This was my experience with Psalm 28.
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
my strength and my shield
David says that the Lord, His master, was two things in his life. Firstly, God is his strength. There are days when I feel weak… In these days it’s God who becomes my strength. The Hebrew word for strength here (oz, 5797) means ‘fortress’ or stronghold. A fortress is a place of strength. It’s where you are safe from your enemies and where you have the advantage over the landscape you overlook. The same is true for a shield. It’s a defensive barrier between a warrior and his enemies. When I go to God he becomes the safe place, my fortifier and gives me defence against enemies, situations and negativity.
my heart trusts in him
As a result I trust Him. The remarkable thing about the heart is that it is not trustworthy! It is ruled by a default nature and is quite selfish. But when we are safe in God, our heart naturally trusts in Him and not our feelings, our desires or reactions. Our heart TRUSTS or rests in Him. This is a wonderful place to be. Safe from the battlefield of within and without.
My heart leaps for joy…
A protected heart, a trusting heart has room for rejoicing. David goes out of his way to intentionally celebrate this with his “song of praise”.
Application
- Am I experiencing the Lord as my strength and shield this week?
- Has my heart found rest in Him this week?
- Am I rejoicing in this?
Prayer
Thank you Father that you are a tower of strength. You never change and your strength never subsides. You are also my shield, the one who loves and protects me. I know this because you sent Jesus to show me this. I’m looking forward to enjoying this today!
