January 28 – Our Shield (Psalm 3)

“I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.”(Psalm 3:6)

IN WORD:
We read a verse like this in the psalms and we marvel at the beauty of David’s faith. Cast him in a modern-day environment, however — without the historical and spiritual reverence in which his writings are held — and we would consider this statement dangerously irrational. Those who are surrounded by tens of thousands of hostile forces on every side should be afraid. Only the mentally ill would say they aren’t. We would label such folly as escapism, denial, or delusion. We would probably tell David to be realistic.
But David knows something many of us don’t consider. The invisible God is more real than the visible enemy. The whole world is hopelessly powerless in the face of His power. With spiritual eyes, David can say with Elisha: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (see 2 Kings 6:15-17). Those who only see the many enemies are not focused on reality. They are only focused on the visible. They have forgotten a foundational principle of the spiritual life: The “visible” and the “real” are 2 vastly different things.

IN DEED:
Are you bogged down in the burdens of life? Do you have a multitude of enemies? Are you overwhelmed by the spiritual battles you are in? Are you losing hope? Do not forget this principle: What you see is not all there is. Above & beyond your problems are: (1) the power of the Lord of Hosts; (2) all of His obedient servants ready to do warfare on your behalf; and (3) your prayers & your faith — the clear lines of communication between you and your Deliverer.
Like David, we can refuse to be intimidated by the many drawn up against us. Why? Because we know a Savior infinitely stronger than those many. This is not an irrational hope. It is not escapism. It is reality. We have no reason to fear.

“The cure for fear is faith.” -Norman Vincent Peale-