One of the pieces of armour mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-18 is the shield of faith. Paul encourages us to "take up the shield of faith, with which to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one". I like to imagine each piece of the armour and the job it does; when I think of the helmet, I am praying over my mind, thoughts, biochemistry, central nervous system, a guard over my mouth, and that I would be mindful of what I choose to invite in through my eyes and ears. With the shield, I imagine an impenetrable bubble of protection over me and my family. The imagined shield of our faith in God extinguishes the burning arrows. For example the arrows of fear, the faith shield extinguishes them with the truth that God repeatedly tells me "Do not be afraid, I am with you and I love you" God doesn't lie. The more I focus on the truth that God loves me and is with me, the more clearly I connect with my faith in Him, the more quickly the burning arrows of fear wither and die. My experience is a testimony to the truth of that, it has (for want of a better word) "worked", deploying my faith has shielded me. In addition to the shield in the armour, I am also aware of a different kind of "shield of faith" mentioned in Psalm 91.
"She who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty...I will say of the Lord "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."... He will cover me with his feathers, and under his wings I will find refuge; his faithfulness will be my shield and rampart... "Because she loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue her; I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name." (Personalised abridged text from Psalm 91).
The shield of faith isn't just my faith in God, it is God's faithfulness to me. His faithfulness is my shield, I am protected by his faithfulness to me. I will not fear the arrows because He is faithful and His faithfulness protects me. God knows I love Him and His promise to me is when I call on Him, He will answer me.
What a relief! The shield of faith isn't all on me. On the good days, I am reminded we're in this together, what a joy to partner with God. On the bad days, I don't have to muster up a gritted teeth shield of faith of my own making. No, I can rest, I can trust my Father who does not lie, I can lean into my Father's heart knowing that He has me covered.
She who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save me from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover me with his feathers, and under his wings I will find refuge; his faithfulness will be my shield and rampart. I will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me. I will only observe with my eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If I say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and I make the Most High my dwelling, no harm will overtake me, no disaster will come near my tent. For he will command his angels concerning me to guard me in all my ways; they will lift me up in their hands, so that I will not strike my foot against a stone. I will tread on the lion and the cobra; I will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because she loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue her; I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name. She will call on me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honour her. With long life I will satisfy her and show her my salvation.” (Personalised version of Psalm 91)
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