2 Samuel 15:23-16 / John 18:25-19:22 / Psalm 119:113-128 / Proverbs 16:10-11
Psalm 119:114 You are my refuge and my shield; Your word is my source of hope.
It’s time for a good ol’ word study. When I read a verse like the one above, I often wonder what it means for God to be equated with physical or spiritual objects. For example, God is referred to as Wisdom. In other words, Wisdom is a person – the person of Jesus Christ.
I wonder if anyone has read through the Bible and made a list of all the items that refer to God, like refuge, shield, and hope? That would be a long project, but I’m sure it would be fascinating. Now, I’m kind of wanting to do that. Maybe as I read through the Bible next year, that could be a goal.
For now, let’s look at what it means for God to be my refuge, shield and hope. Of course, you know where we’re headed – to the original Hebrew language in the Strong’s Concordance.
Refuge = seter (say-ther) = hiding or secret place, protection, covering
Shield = magen (maw-gane) = protection and defense
Hope = yahal (yaw-chal) = to wait for, to expect, to trust
There are some beautiful and powerful promises in these three words! Let’s imagine I’m feeling unsafe, so I run to the Lord and hide in Him – kind of like finding my own personal foxhole. Now He is protecting and covering me in a secret place where even my enemy cannot find me. But just in case an enemy combatant slips through, He is also my protection, and He is standing ready to defend me.
Let’s also imagine that I’m under heavy fire from the enemy – he’s throwing arrows, stones, words – whatever his choice weapon of the day might be – and I’m waiting for the Lord to come to rescue me. That is my hope, because I know He’s coming. How do I know? Because He heard my cry, my prayer, my call for help, and He’s on the way.
I may suffer a bit as I wait. I may even incur some battle wounds as I fend off the attack, but I know He’s on the way. He wants me to learn warfare, so He waits until just the right time to come to my rescue. Oh, but when He comes – my enemy will be so sorry he ever attacked. He will pay a high price for his arrogance in coming against a daughter of the King.
There is also an aspect of my being hidden in Christ that I addressed with a counselor last year that was interesting. We were talking about my gifts and calling, and I told her how I was hesitant to stand up because I had been “whack-a-moled” so many times. She had me stop and consider something. She asked me Who I was hidden in. Then she asked me Who was covering me. The answer to both questions was “Jesus”. It was then I realized that if I’m hidden in and covered by Jesus, I am not being “whack-a-moled” – He is taking the blows for me.
Any blows I receive have been filtered through Him. That means even though I’m affected, I’m protected. I also realized that someone has a lot of nerve to “whack-a-mole” God. I wouldn’t wanna be them!!
The next time you’re facing a fierce battle, call for help and remember that your “foxhole” and “shield” are on the way!
