THE VERSE
He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.
~Psalm 91:4b-5
In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
~Ephesians 6:16
THE THOUGHT
Read both of today’s verses slowly, savoring their rich promises and exhortations. But then look at them again. Do you see a parallel? God’s faithfulness is a shield protecting us from “arrows” of Satan’s attacks in Psalm 91. Our faith is a shield protecting us from the “arrows” of Satan’s attacks in Ephesians 6. This parallel teaches us an astounding truth: our faith is really God’s faithfulness. As Al Mohler wrote, “Our confidence is in Christ, not in ourselves. We are weak; He is strong… Those who come to Christ by faith are not kept unto Him by our faith, but by his faithfulness.” An old hymn by John Shairp ponders the same truth: “Let me no more my comfort draw / From my frail hold of Thee / In this alone, rejoice with awe: / Thy mighty grasp on me.” And one more quote, this time from the great missionary Hudson Taylor: “Faith is leaning on the One who is faithful.” In the sea of fear, temptation, and trials, our confidence rests in the enduring faithfulness of Christ, not in ourselves and our weak devotion. We rest in the grasp of His mighty hand, knowing that though in the darkness we may momentarily lose our grip, He will never let go.
For more encouragement and application of this truth, be sure to read today’s Extended Reading.
THE PRAYER
Mighty God, Your faithfulness is my shield and rampart, my refuge and hiding place. I have seen Your faithfulness carry me through the night when I did not have enough faith to carry on, and I know that You hold me today and that You will never let go of me. Help me to understand the great depth of this promise, and to press on to take hold of You who first took hold of me.
EXTENDED READING
Psalm 37:23-29
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Philippians 1:3-6
Philippians 3:12-14
THE QUOTE
“If God is your copilot, you’d better switch places.” ~bumper sticker
This post is written by Brendan Beale, author of Cross Connections