In May of 2019 archaeologists in central England discovered an ancient shield made of bark, dating back to the Iron Age. It’s the oldest shield ever found.
Some might think such a shield would offer little protection during battle. But experiments have proven the bark of such trees as alder and willow would have served well, providing an effective but lightweight shield, easy to maneuver [1].
Fast forward to today. Modern technology has made Israel’s Iron Dome possible. The system shields the country with exceptional radar protection–detecting, tracking, and destroying incoming enemy rockets, high in the sky before they can do any harm [2].
One of Israel’s missile launchers in action
Both shields impress—one for its age and unusual material; the other for its advanced technology and precision.
Scripture speaks of another shield, much older than the one found in England yet still available today, and even more impressive than Israel’s Iron Dome:
The Lord himself.
As we consider that truth, a few questions present themselves:
- Why would God inspire that metaphor?
- What does God want me to understand about him being my shield?
- How might new understanding impact my life?
In researching and pondering the answers to those questions, I discovered that:
God is our shield because of his attributes.
His power shields us from ultimate ruin.
His wisdom shields us from foolishness.
His compassion shields us from emotional and spiritual wounds too deep to heal.
His righteousness shields us from the evil one.
His mercy and grace shield us from the punishment we deserve for our wrongdoing [3].
The list could go on.
God is also our shield because of his actions.
His shield offers:
- Protection against our arch-enemy Satan and all his cohorts
- Salvation, saving us from the condemning power of sin
- Help in times of trouble
- Faithfulness we can rely on, because of his covenant of love
- Truth—like the promises of God’s Word that can protect us against discouragement and confusion
- Favor in the form of lovingkindness, mercy, and grace [4]
God’s shield can cover every aspect of our lives, but . . .
. . . we must each take up our shield.
God is a gentleman; he doesn’t force his protection, help, or favor upon us. We must come to him and choose to take refuge in him [5].
How? Through prayer.
We invite him to watch over us and protect us.
We affirm the promises and encouragement from his Word.
We remind ourselves of who he is, our Almighty God of Refuge, Shelter and Strength, our Rock of Stability and Safety.
Will you pray with me right now?
* * * * * * * * * *
I praise you, O God, for being my strength and impenetrable shield. I can put my trust in you with unwavering confidence because of who you are [6].
I praise you for not only being a shield in front of me; you are a shield that surrounds me, guarding on all sides [7].
You are above, beneath, around, and within, protecting me from ultimate ruin, irreparable damage to my spirit, and foolishness. You shield me from the full brunt of trouble, the fiery darts of the enemy, and his lies [8].
I praise you for the overflowing peace in knowing you are guarding me as a shield!
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/23/2300-year-old-iron-age-bark-shield-leicestershire
[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20385306#:~:text=Iron%20Dome%20detects%20and%20tracks,to%20fall%20on%20open%20ground.
[3] Proverbs 3:23-26; 28:26; Psalm 86:12-15; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Ephesians 2:4-5
[4] Ephesians 6:16; Psalm 18:35 ESV; Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 91:4 and Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 91:4c; Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 5:12
[5] Matthew 11:28-30
[6] Psalm 28:7 AMP
[7] Psalm 3:3 GWT
[8] Psalm 91:4a; Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 3:3; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 6:16
Image credits: http://www.commons.wikimedia.org (2); http://www.biblepics.co & http://www.canva.com; http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.heartlight.org (3).
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Praise God for being our shield for the many wonderful reasons you have listed. Praise Him for His army of angels and our guardian angels. Praise Him for conscientious Christians like you who remind us of all that He does for us. 🙂
I for one need frequent reminders of who our God is and what he does. Too many distractions in life make for loss of focus! / Oh yes–praise God for his angels, who do his bidding and obey his word (Psalm 103:20)! / And thank you for your encouragement, Nancy.
You’re welcome, Nancy. 🙂
Our shield, our protector, our deliverer- God
Thank you, Matt, for bringing to mind the old hymn, “O Worship the King,” especially the 2nd-3rd lines of the first verse: “Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days.” I don’t know why it didn’t come to mind while I worked on this post. Such an uplifting hymn!
God is the ultimate gentleman, Nancy. He will be happy to be our shield, but we have to invite Him into that role. Thank you for this amazing reflection here. Blessings!
Praise God you found this to be a worthwhile reflection, Martha. And thank you for your encouragement!
My daughter is practicing for a musical production about David and Goliath (the Rock Slinger and his Greatest Hit). It has so many great songs about the protection of God! Thanks for this post, Nancy!
Musicals are such a great way for our kids to learn scripture-truth. The memorable songs often stick with them long after the performance. (Our kids still remember parts of “Music Machine” from their childhoods in the 1980s! We had the tape and they listened to it over and over.) May your daughter’s performance go well!
beautiful prayer to clip and save in our journal and to repeat often. Blessings!
Praise God you found the prayer meaningful, Jean! Happy weekend, my friend!
Our Shield, our Protector, our Provider–He does it all. I loved this message, Nancy–the examples of the two different shields in the beginning were a reminder of how we’ve always needed protection from unwanted pain from others. And yet He has sufficiently supplied us with exactly what we need to move through life without fear. We need to be reminding each other more frequently that we can trust Him to be our Shield and Strength. Thanks for this, Nancy.
As I said to Nancy H. above: I need frequent reminders! (It’s one reason why producing a blog post each week is such a worthwhile endeavor.) You make a good point, Dayle: we’re always in need to God’s protection (whether we sense it or not).
Oh, how I need a shield! I am so thankful that God is not just willing and able to be my shield, but actually wants to be my shield.
Agreed, Linda! What a gracious, compassionate Father he is.
The reason I can lift my head each day- I know who’s got me ‘behind and before’.
AMEN, RH! It’s an assurance with glorious effects upon our minds and spirits.
What a wonderful defense system that we are blessed with to have the Lord as our shield. It means so much to have the assurance that He provides emotional stability in the midst of unfortunate circumstances. I am reminded of the hymn ‘He Hideth My Soul in the Cleft of the Rock’ which is a poetic way of expressing protection and safety we have in Christ. I need to do a better job of doing my part by spending more time in the Word and in prayer.
Thank you for mentioning that hymn, Cheri. I had to look it up and refresh my memory on the lyrics. Fanny Crosby encourages us to consider the “rivers of pleasure” we enjoy (v. 1), the “numberless blessings each moment He crowns” (v. 2), and “His fullness divine” (v. 3)–all from the security of our cleft in the Rock. That’s a hymn we’d do well to keep humming all day!
a cause for pause to praise God for being our Rock, our Sword, our Shield. thank you for taking my attention to Him with your words each and every time, Nancy.
Thank you, Linda, for your encouragement. I know you agree: life goes so much better when we focus on praise of God–who he is and what he does–and gratitude to him. Instant uplift to turn our minds toward him!
Hi Nancy,
So many assaults but the Lord protects his own. That shield covers every aspect of life. Thank you, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
It’s remarkable to contemplate, isn’t it? God’s shield of protection covers us from EVERY assault, in EVERY aspect of life. Thank you, Gary, for adding your insight.