For He will deliver you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions and under His wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. (Verses 3-8)
The times, they are a-changing. There are wars and rumors of wars. There is famine and pestilence world-wide. Earthquakes and tsunamis ravage continents killing thousands at a time. Poverty and prosperity dangle from the same rope as nations all over the globe protest the inequality of life on the planet. Age-old battles are being played out on a larger scale in the Middle East. Bloody wars are creeping from one country to the next like a deadly plague. And if our Bible is true, and it is, we are heading toward the end times for our earth. What is our hope as Christians? It is the same hope the children of Israel had during the plagues in Egypt. The blood on the doorpost.
I know there are some Christians reading this who will say, "He didn't keep me from disease. How can I trust this promise?" Because we live in a fallen world, and because our bodies die, we know this isn't an eternal promise. Verse 8 is the crux of what the psalmist is saying. God will keep His kids safe in the times of recompense for evil. Covered in the blood of Jesus--on the doorposts of our hearts--we will look with our eyes upon His judgment. So we are not supposed to fear when we see the world falling apart. Instead, we are to see His hand catch the arrows flying our way, stopping them in midair. Terrifying nights may be coming, but we won't fear them because we understand what's happening. Jesus said, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says" (Revelation). In other words, understand your times so you won't be caught off-guard.
Our Father tucks us into bed at night saying, "Don't be afraid. I'm right here." So when we hear the noise of conflict or sense the creeping doom in the dark, our first response is to know we are protected. Covered by the His flight feathers as they grab us from the danger and draw us to His chest. Harbored safely against His heart as our Father's entire wing presses us in close. And when we see destruction all around, bombs going off, detonating and destroying life as we know it, we will not fear. It is prescient. In those times, we will be free from fear because we understand that God is destroying evil. But even more importantly, we know we are loved by our Father. We will count on His faithfulness to be our shield and buckler. Didn't know what a buckler was until I looked it up today. It's a small shield usually held in the left hand when a small sword is used. It's for hand-to-hand combat. The sword for heavier battle. The picture then, is that our Father is going to be fighting big and small battles for us in these days. Worldwide we will see the scythe of justice swipe the chaff. Personally, we can count on the Lord to narrow the victory down to our everyday fight with evil.
Things fall apart. Only He lasts forever--the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. And Jesus has come to give us eternal life with Him. Children of the Most High God, beloved of the Father, joint heirs with Christ, covered in the Passover blood that is precious to the eye of the Lord even when the heavens and the earth pass away. It is our mark, declaring us to be chicks for the gathering. Though a thousand fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, we are warriors declared by our God to be victors even before the great battle. Dressed in the full armor of God--helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness (His), the belt of Truth, the shoes of the gospel of peace, holding the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and the shield of faith--we are equipped for the days ahead. Our clothing for the day already purchased. Our lives already saved. Perfectly loved by a flawless Father, we can face today and tomorrow unafraid of the snare of the enemy who would trap us, for we know he's been defeated, his head destroyed beneath the heel of the One Who will get us safely through.
The times, they are a-changing. There are wars and rumors of wars. There is famine and pestilence world-wide. Earthquakes and tsunamis ravage continents killing thousands at a time. Poverty and prosperity dangle from the same rope as nations all over the globe protest the inequality of life on the planet. Age-old battles are being played out on a larger scale in the Middle East. Bloody wars are creeping from one country to the next like a deadly plague. And if our Bible is true, and it is, we are heading toward the end times for our earth. What is our hope as Christians? It is the same hope the children of Israel had during the plagues in Egypt. The blood on the doorpost.
I know there are some Christians reading this who will say, "He didn't keep me from disease. How can I trust this promise?" Because we live in a fallen world, and because our bodies die, we know this isn't an eternal promise. Verse 8 is the crux of what the psalmist is saying. God will keep His kids safe in the times of recompense for evil. Covered in the blood of Jesus--on the doorposts of our hearts--we will look with our eyes upon His judgment. So we are not supposed to fear when we see the world falling apart. Instead, we are to see His hand catch the arrows flying our way, stopping them in midair. Terrifying nights may be coming, but we won't fear them because we understand what's happening. Jesus said, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says" (Revelation). In other words, understand your times so you won't be caught off-guard.
Our Father tucks us into bed at night saying, "Don't be afraid. I'm right here." So when we hear the noise of conflict or sense the creeping doom in the dark, our first response is to know we are protected. Covered by the His flight feathers as they grab us from the danger and draw us to His chest. Harbored safely against His heart as our Father's entire wing presses us in close. And when we see destruction all around, bombs going off, detonating and destroying life as we know it, we will not fear. It is prescient. In those times, we will be free from fear because we understand that God is destroying evil. But even more importantly, we know we are loved by our Father. We will count on His faithfulness to be our shield and buckler. Didn't know what a buckler was until I looked it up today. It's a small shield usually held in the left hand when a small sword is used. It's for hand-to-hand combat. The sword for heavier battle. The picture then, is that our Father is going to be fighting big and small battles for us in these days. Worldwide we will see the scythe of justice swipe the chaff. Personally, we can count on the Lord to narrow the victory down to our everyday fight with evil.
Things fall apart. Only He lasts forever--the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. And Jesus has come to give us eternal life with Him. Children of the Most High God, beloved of the Father, joint heirs with Christ, covered in the Passover blood that is precious to the eye of the Lord even when the heavens and the earth pass away. It is our mark, declaring us to be chicks for the gathering. Though a thousand fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, we are warriors declared by our God to be victors even before the great battle. Dressed in the full armor of God--helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness (His), the belt of Truth, the shoes of the gospel of peace, holding the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and the shield of faith--we are equipped for the days ahead. Our clothing for the day already purchased. Our lives already saved. Perfectly loved by a flawless Father, we can face today and tomorrow unafraid of the snare of the enemy who would trap us, for we know he's been defeated, his head destroyed beneath the heel of the One Who will get us safely through.
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