Our Faithful Shield

What do you think of when you think of a shield? Do you think of a round wood and metal creation? Or perhaps you think of the Norman style that’s longer and a bit more narrow. Does a feeling of protection and safety come over you when you think of a shield? Maybe it’s none of these things, but whatever it is, it’s important that you make full use of your personal shield. 

“I have a shield? That’s news to me,” you say as you look around your house. 

Yes, yes, you do. Not just any shield, either. It is the most powerful shield in the universe. The Shield of Faith. (Cue the heavenly chorus of angels and the bright lights) 

So… what is this shield, and how do we access it? Like any shield, this shield offers protection from danger and evil, and it quenches firey darts from our enemies. 

Ephesians 6:16 CSB In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

This doesn’t tell us all that much about it, though, at least we now know what it is made of. Faith is a powerful tool, but it doesn’t come from ourselves; it’s a gift from God. This shield is a gift from God. 

Ephesians 2:8 CSB For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift ​-- ​

We can pray for more faith, but what are we praying for exactly? Faith in what or whom? A good place to start would be to find out what precisely the definition of faith is.

Strongs concordance has the word Pistis translated to faith. It means: Being persuaded that something is absolute truth, moral conviction, belief, and assurance.

In the context of the Bible, that would mean that when we believe in something we cannot see, it is because we believe it to be absolute truth. We believe it really exists. It’s our moral conviction to follow God’s law.

Hebrews 11:1 YLT And faith is of things hoped for, a confidence, of matters not seen, a conviction,

The author of Hebrews defines faith for us quite well. We are confident in our hope, which is eternal life and the love and mercy of God. We are convicted that God is real, Christ rose from the dead, and He will one day return for us. We have never seen a resurrection, but we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it will happen. Why? Well, because God’s word says so. We may not know precisely how, and we may not understand the sequence of events, but we know that it will happen.

If we pray for stronger faith, we pray for stronger belief. Or another way to look at it is less doubt, for doubt is the opposite of faith. It’s not a coincidence at all that the flaming arrows the devil most often throws are doubt darts. Our shield extinguishes these darts because it is made out of faith––in what exactly? What do we believe in? We have faith that God will protect us and do what He says He will. What this shows us is beautiful, and David expressed it in a number of His psalms.

Psalms 28:7-9 NKJV The LORD [is] my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. 

8 The LORD [is] their strength, And He [is] the saving refuge of His anointed. 

9 Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

Psalms 3:2-8 NKJV Many [are] they who say of me, "[There is] no help for him in God." Selah 

3 But You, O LORD, [are] a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. 

4 I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah 

5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. 

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set [themselves] against me all around. 

7 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 

8 Salvation [belongs] to the LORD. Your blessing [is] upon Your people. Selah

Proverbs 30:5 NKJV Every word of God [is] pure; He [is] a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

What David and Agur demonstrate for us here is that our true shield is God. It is our faith in Him, our faith that what He says is true, that makes Him our shield. Our faith is small, but our God is not. Agur shows us that not only is the Word of our God our sword, but He is also our protection and our shield.