Titus 2 Men And Women

In response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:
The Shield of God
Jeanne Haverstick

The Shield of God

Psalm 91:4 "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." 

As thousands of people like me around the globe witness the excruciating crisis of Hurricane Katrina in our southern United States, I wondered; if I were in the midst of their pain, how could I encourage them? 

The Lord reminded me of a picture He gave me at a point in my life when there seemed like there was no hope and no future for me. This picture gave me great peace and new breath:

I was standing in the middle of a fierce storm. The wind was whipping about me; rain was pelting my body and debris flying everywhere. Suddenly, the Lord stepped directly in front of me. The wind was still fierce, the rain was still forceful and the debris was still being moved about. But the Lord became my shield. Did the wind cease? No. Did the rains dry up? No. But I could breathe again. My focus returned to my Lord instead of my circumstances. 

As believers, sometimes, we feel so desperate and plead with the Lord for our circumstances to change or to turn around. Our timetable becomes the basis for our faith. And yet…in the midst of pain, loss, grief or confusion, the Lord can step in front of us…as our shield and He lifts our head. 

Just as a mother places her finger under her child's chin and says "look at me, it's going to be ok", so our heavenly Father does the same thing for us, His children. Your circumstances may still be bleak, at this very moment you may be in the middle of a storm in your life…BUT, according to His Word, which is truth, He can step in front of you as a shield for your heart, your mind and your peace. How?

God is a shield of comfort: 
Reach out and embrace it as though it were a down comforter wrapped around you. His comfort is tangible. It will come from talking to Him, reading His Words; it will come from others speaking into your life; it will come from silence in your life.

II Corinthians 1:3 "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;" 

God is a shield of peace: 
Close your eyes and allow Him to give you your own picture of Him as your shield. Peace is not based on what you have, what you do, where you live. It certainly is not based on the seas of life…most of the time they will be choppy. That picture my Father gave me? My circumstances did not change right away…but I did. 
I understood, for the first time in my life, how to breathe, focus and trust:
Breathe: to take life one minute at a time. I learned not to allow tomorrow to invade my today.
Focus: to look into my Father's eyes and concentrate on His promises, not the chaos around me.
Trust: what a huge piece of the puzzle and yet, without it, your circumstances will consume you. 

Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

God is the God of deliverance & refuge:
Although, for most of us, we are desperate for God's will in our lives, we seek it our own way. We want to choose our own path, but when circumstances produce weeds or obstacles on that path, we run to God and ask Him to pull the weeds or to move the circumstances around to make us happy again.

Psalm 9:9 "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble."

In the natural world, if you needed to seek refuge, would you enter that place with your own set of rules to be enforced? No. You would enter that place with a desire to be safe and away from trouble, seeking counsel and direction.

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." 

Truth:
God is your refuge, God is your comfort and God is your peace. I cling to that statement out of pain and chaos in my own life. Your Father will never forsake you, never let you down…life will, but He is there…waiting to show you how to smile again.

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