"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;One of the characteristics of God that I am always thankful for is that He is our Protector. I spent some time reading in the first few chapters of Psalms this morning and ran across this beautiful character-trait once again.
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love."
Psalm 5:11-12 (New Living Translation)
David, the shepherd boy who became king of Israel, paints a picture of God as Protector in the above passage. I know that David knew what it meant to take refuge in God. David faced all kinds of trials in his life --- some brought on by those who did not like or approve of him. Others were brought on by himself and the bad decisions he made.
But through it all, David continually ran back to God because his experience showed him that God was his Protector. Look at the request David made for all of us who take refuge in God: "Spread your protection over them." Those words bring to my mind a large, sturdy canopy spread over God's people. We gather under it and are protected from the storms that rage around us. It's like God's giant umbrella and we can get under it and be safe there with Him.
The other phrase I love in this passage is the end of verse 12: ". . . you surround them with your shield of love." Not only are we protected from above, but we are protected on all sides by God's shield of love. God's shield of love is strong and cannot be penetrated by the enemy. No matter what may come at us, God's shield of love will stand.
That means God has us completely covered! That's good news for the beginning of this new week, isn't it? I have no idea what may happen in my life this week. I am sure you do not either. But no matter what may come our way, when we make Him our refuge, we can rejoice because He spreads His protection over us and surrounds us with His shield of love --- and we are safe there.
Thank You, God!
