
19 Nov My fierce protector
Some years ago someone gifted me a special edition of a new translation of the Psalms and Proverbs. Psalm 23 just jumped right off the page.
Psalm 23:1-2 (The Passion Translation, 2015)
The Lord is my Fierce Protector and my Pastor. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.
Did you know that a shepherd is as much a warrior as a gentle caregiver? In Israel, the shepherds often used caves to herd their sheep into at night. Then, because there wasn’t a door to the cave, the shepherd would sleep at its entrance. This way he could ward off any predators before they reached the sheep.
Even though the sheep would be able to hear wolves howling or lions roaring in the night, they didn’t have to go into a panic, because they were safe. The shepherd puts his life on the line for the sheep.
Jesus describes Himself as our Good Shepherd, saying that He is the door to the sheepfold (John 10:7-10). Think about it: He protects us even before trouble enters the door! You may hear the predators growling around outside, but they can’t come in and hurt you.
Jesus not only put His life on the line for ours. He GAVE His life when He died on the Cross in our place. He did this to ward off any danger, any strain of virus, and any maliciously planned attack on your life.
Be affirmed in the truth of Psalm 91 again –
Psalm 91:7; 9-10 (NIV)
7Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence …
9If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
As a child of God, you don’t have to be alarmed by what you hear is going on around you in the world. Put your trust in Him and know that He is your fierce protector and your pastor; both physically and spiritually.
Go ahead and open up your Bible to Psalm 91 today. Personalise it and pray it out loud over your life and the lives of your loved ones. It will not only minister peace to your heart, you will start to see how God practically protects you!