I Trust in the Lord My Shield -Liquid Armor
“He is my … shield, in whom I take refuge. (15) Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:2b, 15).
A soldier stands in front of his/her locker and asks, “What shall I wear today, the Interceptor, the IOTV or the MTC? Or maybe I should start with the Dragon Skin?” Those are of course all names or acronyms for some of the types of body armor and tactical vests used by the U.S. Military in the past years. Body armor development has caused the once indispensable hand-held shield to become a thing of the past. Soldiers now wear their shields in the form of body armor. Research and development divisions of companies continue to look for better and lighter ways to protect our soldiers. Present body shield research and testing includes magneto-mechanical Kevlar, boron carbide armor, nano-scale laminates and, the name I find most intriguing, liquid armor for the Kevlar vests. Liquid armor—keep an eye out for the liquid armor to show itself later in some of the Scripture verses used in this devotion.
Body armor has been around for many years. Recall from the Old Testament the following: “He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels (125 lbs); on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels (15 lbs). His shield bearer went ahead of him” (1Samuel17:5-7).
In 1000 B.C., then, body armor was already in use. Goliath was a giant of a man at almost 9 feet tall. His armor needed to fit his XXX-Large body, so it was heavier than average. Young David, sent by his father to bring a care-package from home to his brothers on the battlefield, was moved by the Lord to take the fight to Goliath. David put on King Saul’s armor and tried to walk around before deciding to go against the enemy armed only with the promises of the Lord God Almighty (1 Samuel 17).
Goliath was wrapped in body armor and still had another soldier to carry his shield. Practically speaking, the body armor and the shield were to serve a similar purpose. They were both a form of protection for the soldier. Roman era shields were often large enough for soldiers to squat behind as a shelter for safety, a refuge, a deflector of in-coming projectiles.
The theme I was given for this devotional series based on Psalm 144 was I trust in the Lord my Shield. The Psalmist writes: (2) The LORD is ….my shield, in whom I take refuge. (15) Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
You use a shield or armor when an encounter with the enemy is imminent. How is the battle going against your enemy, the one who seeks to hurt and harm you, the one who seeks to destroy you, the Evil One? Daily put on the body armor given you at your baptism. No soldier would go into war without his basic gear and this is a real battle as we daily face the attacks of Satan. So put on your gear, soldier and get ready for that liquid armor! “All of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). “Take up the shield of faith …” (Ephesians 6:16). “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed … but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (1Peter 1:18-21).
Did the liquid armor jump off the page when you read about it above? The precious blood of Christ is liquid armor! Follow the thread of liquid armor in these next verses: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood… to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen” (Revelation 1:5). “Because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). “Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus … let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith... Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19f). “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
You know what? You could take that idea of liquid armor a bit farther. The waters of holy baptism give you forgiveness of sin, deliverance from eternal death and the devil and assure you that eternal life in heaven with Jesus is yours! Liquid armor! In the Lord’s Supper Jesus comes to us with his body and blood, in with and under the bread and wine, again giving us the above mentioned blessings of the gospel.
So what shall I wear today? Choose the liquid armor given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins! The precious blood of Jesus has washed you clean. Through faith in Jesus as Savior eternal life is yours! And the present blessings of knowing Jesus’ love go with you every day. (2) “The LORD is my … shield, in whom I take refuge. (15) Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.” I trust in the Lord my Shield!
May the Lord bless you! In Jesus he already has! Amen.
Pray the following hymn with me:
1. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(Refrain) Oh! Precious is the flow That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
2. For my pardon, this I see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (refrain)
3. Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (refrain)
4. This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (refrain)
5. Now by this I’ll overcome— Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Now by this I’ll reach my home— Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (refrain)
6. Glory! Glory! This I sing—Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—Nothing but the blood of Jesus. (refrain) AMEN!
(Robert Lowry 1876, public domain)
—Written by Pastor Kevin Stellick, Taiwan
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Devotional thoughts for November 2009 are based on Psalm 144
1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. 3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? 4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. 5 Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. 6 Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and rout them. 7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners 8 whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful. 9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you, 10 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword. 11 Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful. 12 Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. 13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields; 14 our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets. 15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
Extra reading related to the armor the LORD provides:
Ephesians 6:10ff Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
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