Psalm 84:11 "The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."
Scripture uses a variety of pictures to describe how God in His goodness provides for us. In Psalm 84 God is called a sun and a shield.
Think of how all of life is dependent on the sun. Without its warming rays nothing would grow. No food would be available to us or any other creatures. Plants reach for the sun's light since it is their source of life.
God is like the sun to us since He both gives life and preserves it. Without the warmth of His grace to sustain us during life's hardships, we would eventually wither and die. His light guides our steps, illuminating the path to eternal life.
A shield protects the vital organs from arrows and the sword. With it, a soldier is able to ward of the attacks of the enemy.
God is like a shield in that He protects us from the flaming arrows of the Evil One -- the devil -- who seeks to destroy us. In many ways, God answers the petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from evil." We may have no way of knowing how many times God has shielded us from the devil's attacks while we rested secure, unaware of the battle going on around us. Through faith in Christ, we are guarded by God's almighty power.
PRAYER: Lord God continue to warm us with Your love in Christ and protect us against all harm. Amen.
(Taken from "Words of Promise," copyright 1996, Concordia Publishing House (out of print). For information on other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-3040.)
Today's Bible Readings: Song 4-5 Acts 7:1-21
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"