You have given me your shield of victory.
~Psalm 18:35 NLT
Never had a game evoked such fear in me that I needed to be shielded.
The Danger
As a middle schooler, I was weak, shy, and non-athletic. I dreaded physical education class—mainly because of one game: dodgeball.
The team captains always picked me last when they made their choices. Skinny, freckled-faced, glasses. Nothing that would make the captains want me on their team. I made sure I stood behind everyone else when the balls whizzed by, but eventually, exposure came. At that moment, I began using my shield.
I could bear getting hit in the torso or below the waist, but a hit in the head could turn tragic. I wore glasses, and Mom had strictly instructed me to guard them with my life. She and Dad could not afford to replace them. As the balls aimed at me, I shielded my head with my arms and hands.
As a teenager, I tortured my two younger brothers with the same game by lining them up on the edge of our open carport and throwing balls at them. They, too, used their arms and hands as shields, but doing so didn’t stop them from cascading from the ledge to the ground below when I hit them.
The Shield
David was a warrior and very familiar with a shield. While he didn’t use one against Goliath, the giant he fought, he did in many battles after that as he protected his nation against their enemies.
Thousands of years into the future, the apostle Paul would say faith is the believer’s shield. As my hands shielded me from slams by the dodgeballs, my faith shields me from the darts of my soul’s enemy. When I believed in and accepted Christ as my Savior, God gave me the righteousness of Christ. Though I take many hits in life, that body armor of righteousness and my shield of faith keep me from being defeated.
Faith helps us move forward, even when we can’t see the way. It prompts us to obey God’s plan, even when it appears illogical. Faith keeps us determined in our walk with the Lord, even when we sometimes want to give up. Faith shields us from persistent and uncontrollable doubt, anger, frustration, anxiety, worry, depression, and fear.
God gives all His children a shield. Take yours so you can fight life’s battle with a guarantee of success.
–Photo by Fontis AG on Unsplash
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