12-02-2023

Good Morning All,

             2 Samuel 22:36; “You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.”

     There is a story of a brave man who, as he was driving home from work, noticed some children playing in an old, abandoned building.  Just as he drove by, there was a huge explosion and he saw the building erupt in fire.  He stopped and ran inside to find the children.  By the time he found them the exit was blocked by the flames.  He remembered the old building had a huge furnace in the basement.  He herded the children into the walk-in furnace and pulled the huge iron door shut.  Inside that old furnace, they were safe from the inferno around them.  The man comforted the children telling them that they were safe and would soon be back with their families.  They were shielded from certain death and kept calm by the man’s gentle nature.

    This is what God does for us.  He shields us from certain destruction.  He saw our pain; he saw our danger and rescued us.  Jesus experienced our pain.  He walked among us to give us hope.  He gives us salvation.  His death on the cross paid for our sins.  His resurrection from the grave sealed the promise of our resurrection.  We are shielded from the fire that the devil hurls at us.  We are protected from the wickedness that the world tries to pour out upon us.

    Even in this salvation, God is gentle with us.  He calls us by his Word.  His Spirit continually guides us back into the safety of his shield of mercy.  It is here that we are kept safe from the fire of the devil.  Regardless of the many ways that the devil tries to attack us; we are under God’s shield.  The fears and uncertainty of this life and covered by God’s grace.  He calls you to listen to his Word of grace.  He calls us to be comforted by his tender words of forgiveness.  He shields us with his tender love and mercy.  Our hope is secure.  We can trust this shield.

    Because of God’s mercy, because of this shield, we can stand tall; we are great.  We can stand up to the devil and his attacks.  We can see his attacks for what they are; they are lies.  God loves you and wants you to be his child.  God desires that you live under him in his kingdom, safe and secure.  This is what God’s shield does for us; it gives us the comfort we need in the battles that the devil launches at us.  God shield protects you from all the devil throws at you.  Behind his shield, you are safe.

    We can hide be this shield, comforted by the gentleness of God’s loving mercy.  We can hide there, safely until we are reunited with him in eternal paradise.  We can trust him to protect us from all that we face.  We can trust him to bring us the shield that is our salvation.

Gracious Father, your mercies are new to us every day.  Guard us by your shield of mercy that we may have salvation.  Be with those who are struggling with the battles of this life and feel that they are fighting this struggle on their own.  Save them by your mercy.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret