WEDNESDAY July 31st
Ephesians 6:16
‘In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.’
We come today to the next item, and Paul uses the words ‘In all circumstances’, which obviously means ‘all’, that is in absolutely, every circumstance or situation with which we find ourselves, make sure you have taken up the shield of faith.
We are saved by faith, we live by faith, we walk by faith, and it is by faith we see the hand of God in and over every circumstance in our lives. Even when the way seems dark, or we cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel, it is by faith we put our hand into God’s hand and trust him to make a way or to take us through.
We need to always exercise faith, and in the picture we have here of the whole or the full armour of God it is portrayed as the shield of faith. When the enemy fires something at us, we lift the shield of faith to protect ourselves, it is a declaration that we have absolute full and confident trust in God. In 1 John 5:4 we read ‘For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.’
In a previous devotion I quoted the words from Psalm 91:4 (KJV) ‘He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.’ Why is truth represented as a shield here yet as faith in the armour? Well, can I suggest when we come to understand the trustworthiness of God, that he himself is true and his word is truth, we will have the faith required to believe that he will be faithful towards us through every battle that we face. So, our faith is based and built upon his truthfulness.
Now what is a buckler as we see here in Psalm 91 (KJV) alongside the word shield? Well, it is another form of shield, and in the Old Testament, it is represented by the faith, trust and the courage that individuals had in God to be with them to protect them. It was a symbol of power and of strength. In 2 Samuel 22:31(KJV) we read ‘As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.’
This is another opportunity to remind us that in our own strength and with our own ability we would fail miserably, but as we lift the shield of faith, we are boldly declaring that our faith and trust is in the Lord God. (Does it not remind you of David when he faced Goliath). It is ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD of hosts’.