“But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.”
Psalm 3:3
With everything that is happening in the world, we must be able to answer the following question with confidence, ‘In what do you put your ultimate trust?’ It may be things such as a career, financial security, social media following, government establishments, or denominations. It could also be people such as yourself, a spouse, children, friends, or strategic connections you may have made. These can all have their place, but ultimately, they will not be able to fulfill all needs all the time.
There is only One who is found worthy of our ultimate trust, Jesus Christ. Unless Christ is sufficient, nothing will satisfy.
When it feels like the walls are crashing in around you, there is One on whom you can always count. There is One who will never leave you nor forsake you. There is One who will make Himself manifest in your darkest moments and lift up your head. That One, is Jesus Christ.
But this reality comes from a relationship of knowing Him. We must rest in the Lord for us to truly see Him as our shield, our glory and the lifter of our head.
How do we know Him?
In Psalm 37:7, we read ‘Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.’ And in Psalm 23:2, ‘He makes me lie down in green pastures.’ We have to slow down long enough to see Him rightly—
We must abide in Him. How often are we too busy to not only be still before the Lord, but to then wait; and not only wait, but wait patiently! We get distracted, thoughts of tasks to complete flood our minds and we lose our focus. But oh, the benefits of being still with Jesus! We can abide in a place where we are not asking Him anything, just loving Him and being loved by Him. This abiding allows for the knowing that is needed to truly manifest Him as your shield. We must surrender. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, ‘Cast your care upon Him, for He cares for you.’ We must surrender our fears, anxieties, insecurities, and our future to Him. Surrender does not eliminate the problem. It realigns our thought process to see that He is with us fighting our battles.
We must become dependent. In western culture, the independent spirit can be both a blessing and an hinderance. Being dependent on drugs, alcohol, affirmation, can all lead to negative outcomes. But when we are dependent on the Lord, when we truly see Him as our Jehovah Jireh — our Provider — it becomes natural for us to lean into Him for our provision and our future, The Lord will open the doors that need to be opened and close the doors that need to be closed.
We must reflect. The Lord established the Sabbath for a reason. There is purpose in rest to reflect, ponder, and meditate on the Word of God. Take time to see the Hand of God moving in your life. Remember how He has been faithful in the past. He will do it again.
We must worship while we wait. God's timing is perfect timing. He won't be early and He won't be late. Do not waste time worrying when you can be worshipping! Set the goodness of the Lord before you. He is worthy!
