What do you do when your fears seem to be winning the day? What if you pray and God still hasn’t come through for you? If you are like most people, you begin to lose hope, and you wonder why you bothered to pray in the first place. Deep in the soil of your heart, little seeds of doubt take root, growing up into a harvest of frustration, anger and anxiety. It happens to most of us eventually. Some of the best men and women of the Bible struggled with their inner doubts when their dreams didn’t come true. So don’t ever feel like you’re alone.
The Bible tells us in Genesis 15:1; “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward.” We should not think of a small shield that covers only the chest area, but rather of a shield that stretches from head to toe and completely protects every part of the body. Such a shield offers complete protection from every attack of the enemy. This is important, because God does not say, “I will give you a shield,” but rather, “I am your shield.” The very God of heaven says that he will be our shield, which means we have a shield that is omnipotent, universal, eternal. That shield cannot be defeated. It is as strong as God himself. We could not be in a better position. Who can defeat us when God himself is our shield?
The message is certainly clear. If God is your shield, you can overcome any worldly or spiritual adversity. Nothing can touch us except that which God permits. Why does He do this at times? To develop us and teach us important lessons to bring us closer to Him. Think about it. It would be too easy if God answered all our prayers the first time we prayed them. Not only would we take God for granted, we would also develop a superficial faith and lack of appreciation for God’s best.
No one knows what a day may bring. Who knows if we will all make it through this week? But our God is faithful to keep every one of his promises. Nothing can happen to us except it first passes through the hands of God. If your way is dark, keep on believing. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He loves and cares for you.