“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalms 84:11I love this verse. In fact the Lord had already spoken this verse to me this week concerning an issue in my life before I read it in our lesson. First and foremost, I love that it reminds us that God is good! In the midst of the good times and bad, in the big things and the little things, God is good.
As I mentioned this is one my favorite verses, but I tend to focus on the last bit of it reminding us that God will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. This week the Lord broadened my scope a bit and allowed me to see the importance of the first half of the verse as well.
To begin, the Lord God is a sun. What does the sun do? It shines light. And this is what the Son of God does for us. He illuminates our path showing us the way in which we should go, just as we see in these verses: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:6) and “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in the details of their lives” (Psalms 37:23). I am also reminded of the beautiful picture painted in Prov. 4:18 that the path of righteousness is like the first ray of dawn shining brighter until the full light of day.
As Jean points out in Day 4, as we let the truth of the Word of God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, we will gradually know the path in which we should go. It will be illuminated just enough for us that we will not stumble as we continually seek the Lord’s direction.
We are also reminded that we are to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 4:7). Was I the only one comforted by the disciples’ lack of faith even though Jesus was right there with them in the boat? As Jean points out that is just a reminder that walking by faith does not come naturally. But we learn that it is as simple as trusting in the Word of God and obeying it! In order to do these things though, we must be disciplined to study God’s word. After all, I love the reminder that we cannot take our children any further in the faith than we have already been. Doesn’t that make you want to become a student of the word of God?
Just as studying the word of God will show us God’s path for our lives, it will also help us stay clean, pure in a dirty world. Bible study along with keeping short sin accounts helps us stay clean and usable in the hands of God. For us Christian mommas, this is a full time occupation, and we want to be found faithful in these things!
Psalms 84:11 also tells us that the Lord our God is a shield. What does a shield do? It protects. It’s a defense. We know that God is our protector, our defense. As the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; he is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold. He saves me from my enemies” (Ps. 18:2, 3). We know that God is ultimately in control of our lives. Suffering , hurt and heartache are inevitable, but they come to us through the hands of a loving, good God. Those difficult times are also what the Lord uses to refine us, to make us usable in the Master’s hands. This process, known as sanctification, is long and slow, but it will ultimately transform us into the image of Christ. And don’t we all desire that?
In closing, I also wanted to point out these opportunities that Jean gives us for allowing our children to see the reality of Christ in our lives. I love tangible things, and I found these were helpful to keep me focused on ways to teach my children through exhortation and example:
1. Let your children see you study the Word of God.
2. Let your children hear you pray.
3. Talk to them about what God is teaching you.
4. Show them ways that God is at work in your family.
5. Demonstrate asking for forgiveness.
6. Teach them that God is good!
Have a blessed week!
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