#DailyDevotion Who Is Your Strength & Shield?
Pslam 28 7The LORD is my Strength and my Shield. My heart trusts Him and so I’m helped; I’m delighted and praise Him in my song.
While the beginning verse is looking to the LORD to solve our problems, these last verses praise the LORD because we trust He has heard us and is going to take care of us. While some commentaries think this part of the psalm is written after David had received and seen the answer to His prayer, I don’t think so. It is the praise of faith. The LORD has promised to hear our prayers. Jesus has promised us, “ask and you shall receive,” so we should praise Our Father in heaven as having heard our prayers and answered them.
So David can praise the LORD and call Him his Strength and Shield. Where else does he get his strength from? Whose strength are you depending on for every day? Perhaps you should trust in the LORD’s. It certainly makes the day easier when it is the LORD’s strength, which doesn’t wane. The LORD is David’s shield. He protects David from the fiery arrows of the evil one. We too should pick up the Shield of faith so the fiery arrows of the wicked one are extinguished when shot at us.
David’s heart trusted in the LORD and he was helped. The LORD responds to our faith in Him. Read the Gospels. Who was helped by Jesus? Who received a miracle? Who amazed Jesus? Was it not those who put their faith in Him? James tells us those who doubt should not expect to get anything from the LORD. Quit your doubting. Put your trust in the only One who deserves our trust. Make your LORD Jesus Christ your heart’s trust. He died on the cross to save you. He rose from the dead. He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for you. He tells you to use His Name in prayer so the Father will hear you. You will be helped even as David was helped.
David was delighted and praised the LORD in his song. Let us join him in this psalm of praise. We should be delighted in all the LORD has done for us and for what He has promised to do for us. He keeps His word.
8The LORD is our Strength and a Fortress for His anointed one.
The LORD is our Strength. We should seek it no other place. Don’t depend upon your own strength or the strength of others or the strength of things. That is blasphemy and idolatry to do. Abandon yourselves completely to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be your care.
He is a Fortress for His anointed one. David speaks of himself. But he prophecies and sees his LORD Jesus Christ. He sees the LORD is a Fortress for Him. Jesus will not be deterred. The Pharisees, Scribes, Priests, His people, and the Romans do not deter Him. He knew where His help came from. In baptism we are joined with Christ the Anointed One of God. He anoints us with the Holy Spirit so that through faith in Him, the LORD is our Fortress. We see the psalm ultimately fulfilled in Jesus and through Jesus in our lives as well.
9Save Your people and bless Your inheritance! Be their Shepherd and carry them forever!
Our prayers should not be selfish and David’s psalm is not. He brings the whole people of God into his prayer and intercedes for them, the LORD would be their Shepherd and so Jesus is.
Heavenly Father, we give thanks and praise to you for being our Strength and our Fortress every day of our lives, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, Amen.