A few weeks ago, I received a text from a friend describing some hurtful words spoken to her by a family member. The words were untrue and unreasonably harsh. I responded to her by saying:
I’m praying that Jesus will be a shield of protection for you in this moment—to stand guard between you and those words.
Once I sent the response, I continued to think about God as our shield. I wanted to research it further to see what the Bible says because it’s a powerful image.
I found that it’s a common theme throughout scripture…
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1 (NIV)
But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. Psalm 3:3 (NIV)
My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. Psalm 7:10 (NIV)
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30 (NIV)
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114 (NIV)
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Ephesians 6:16 (NIV)
(Many more similar references can be found here).
Could I lean on the protection of God more often to shield the lies that I allow to enter my mind? At times, I try to do it all by myself. I depend on my own strength to filter out hurtful words and destructive lies.
When I looked up the verb “shield” in the dictionary, I found this definition:
–to prevent harm or damage to somebody or something by using a physical barrier or by intervening in a protective way
We have the ultimate protector. He is standing right beside us saying:
You don’t have to do it all alone.
I understand your pain.
I am your refuge.
I am your shield.
Lord, I invite you to intervene in a protective way in my life. Be my refuge and my shield. Lift my head high. I want to seek your truth above all else. Let me rest in you—my shield and my salvation. Amen.
Allison K. Flexer, Author 
Just what I needed to hear, A2 🙂 Vereses to go with exactly what I’ve been thinking about!
I thought about you as I was writing it, Chasie. I’m so glad it was helpful!
As I read this, my thought was that I need Christ to shield me from the judgments I hurl at myself. These sting as much or more than those from others because only I can hear them. Thanks for this reminder that God can protect me even from myself.
Shannon, that is such a good point. Many of the lies I believe come from within myself. And yes, God wants to shield us from those as well! You and I process things very much the same way…I miss being in Bible Study with you.
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