Psalm 115:11 ~ Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; he is their help and their shield.
When I first read this scripture I wanted to focus on who the Lord is to us in our lives. However, as I continued to read and reread this scripture, I was convicted, because I realized how little I actually feared, reverenced and acknowledged the power of the Lord.
This scripture is pretty plain. If you fear the Lord, then you will trust in the Lord, because he is your help and your shield. However, like a teacher once told me to do, I bisected this sentence and found that if I don’t fear the Lord, I won’t trust in him, and then, I don’t allow him to be my help and my shield, thus opening my life, my mind, my heart, and my faith to the enemy.
During biblical times it was normal to fight in a war or battle, and oftentimes we forget that we, too, are in battles this present day. Our battles may not involve a physical altercation, but we have to fight. We fight against addictions, moral sobriety, drunkenness, infidelity, gluttony, or overindulgence, pride, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, common decency, and the like. However, when we enter battle without fearing the Lord, we are destined to be defeated. There is a saying, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” and this is true with our Christian walk. If we walk into battle without our battle gear on and a plan, we will do one of two things, 1) lose the battle or 2) we will flee with our tails between our legs, waving our white flags of surrender.
Let’s focus on our fearing the Lord. This fear is not to be afraid, but to reverence. In this state, we are able to recognize the true power of the Lord. If we stopped and took time to really understand who God is and the power He possesses, we would not be so quick to run into battle without Him. Actually, we would probably never go into warfare without Him. Understand that without God’s backing, we will lose, but with Him, “all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). God is able to slay the enemy with just a word. He knows all the tricks of the enemy, and He has an army of angels ready to fight on our behalf. Why would we not invoke His help?
We don’t ask God for help, because we do not trust Him. We don’t believe that He wants to be bothered with our issues of life. But we are so very wrong in this type of thinking. In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to cast all “your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” Don’t let this be a scripture you just quote, but let it be one that you take to heart and believe in.
We also don’t implore God’s help on “touchy” issues, another area of mistrust. Pornography is taboo, infidelity is morally wrong, homosexuality is considered nasty, and addiction is a weakness. Therefore, we won’t take these battles to the Lord. We are embarrassed with the thought of bringing this before the “Almighty God”. However, pause for a minute and remember who God is. He is omniscient, all-knowing. He already knows what you are struggling with. He knew before you knew. So, trust in Him enough to take this struggle to Him, so He can be your help and your shield.
Do not let the devil scare you into not going to God for the help you so desperately need. None of us are perfect, and we all need the help provided to us by God. You may struggle with addiction, I may struggle with pornography, and someone else may struggle with pride or envy. Regardless of the struggle, we need to trust God enough to allow Him entry into the most secret places of our lives and help us. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). You cannot do this alone. I cannot do this alone. We need the help of our Heavenly Father to successfully maneuver through this minefield we call life. There are hidden bombs strewn throughout to destroy us, but if we allow God to go “before us, and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20), we will emerge victorious.
In times of battle, we need to ask ourselves, “Is there anything too hard for God?” The answer is simple, “NO! With God all things are possible!” Therefore, quit standing idly by while your life is ruined, while you struggle with addiction and secret sins, and invoke the power of the Most High God, remembering that those who fear the Lord, trust in Him, and to them, He is their help and shield.
I pray Numbers 6:24-26 over you:
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Amen.”
