Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Psalm 3:3-7
Psalm 3 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It is so visual. I picture God there with His shield, protecting me. He is there to lift my head so I won’t be downcast or in disgrace.
This verse came to mind as I thought of all those who are sending their kids off to college and even those who are sending their kids off to school. It is always a scary time wondering how they are going to do without our guidance and protection. This is a great verse to pray over them.
We are in scary times again with the virus. Who knows, but this may be our new normal of the virus coming and going, taking new forms, infecting different ages. Sending our kids off without us is a huge stressor. All we can do is trust God to be our shield and the lifter of our head.
One of the names for God is Jehovah Magen which means “God is my Shield or Protector”. It really is amazing that the God of the universe is our shield and protector. King David wrote this Psalm when his son Absalom decided to try to overthrow him and become King of Israel. David tried his best to avoid a fight with his son, even though the son wanted him dead.
This Psalm shows the depth of anguish in King David’s soul, yet he realized that God was his shield and protector. God was his glory and it was God who was going to lift his head as he called out to Him knowing that God was going to answer him and sustain Him. David was not living as he wanted and doing whatever pleased himself. The Bible says that he was a man after Gods own heart. He strived to please God in every aspect of his life. He knew what is was like to worship when his heart was full of praise and when his heart was full of anguish. In all those times, he continued to worship.
Statistics say that 33% of professing Christians have stopped attending church and will probably never come back. They have become comfortable staying home and enjoying extra free time. Others have decided that they can watch sermons on TV and not come to church. This is not Gods plan for His people. Do not be part of this sad statistic. It is incredibly sad and disturbing. The Bible is clear that we should not forsake the assembly of Believers. This does not mean that we should be reckless and not do our part to stay safe.
I am glad that our church is back in full swing. We are ready for our Church family. We are diligent in making sure our rooms and sanctuary are clean and disinfected. We are providing masks for those who want to wear them. We are ready. We are prepared and we are praying and trusting God to help keep us safe as we meet together.
We promote our Children and Youth this Sunday. We start our full Wednesday Night programs back on Aug 18. Wednesday night dinners are beginning again. Adult Choir has started and is already leading in worship on Sunday Mornings. We have prayer meeting, Men’s Bible Study and Women’s Bible Study on Wednesday Nights. God is with us. He is our shield and protector. He desires for us to worship Him.
We look forward to our church being back together and moving forward as we continue to follow God’s leadership, reach our communities and then teach them to become responsible followers of Christ.
Pastor Greg