Our Strength, Our Shield, Our Song

Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28: 6 – 7

With the most heartfelt praise on this 16th day of November, we thank God that we can always trust Him to be our strength, our shield, and our song.

There’s an old Beatles song from the 60’s (that a few of us older folks might remember) called “Till There Was You”, with these lines:

“There were bells on a hill. But I never heard them ringing. No, I never heard them at all. Till there was you.”

“There were birds in the sky. But I never saw them winging. No, I never saw them at all. Till there was you.

“There was love all around. But I never heard it singing. No, I never heard it at all. Till there was you.”

How sad that there are many individuals around us who have never had a song in their heart. Nor have they found any real reason for feeling or expressing true joy. These lyrics tell the story of how falling in love made the singer open his eyes to all the beauty – the rhythm of life and its music – that he has missed. How grateful he is for this special person who has come into his life and helped him to see the world differently.

How grateful we are to know our eternal God who can fill our hearts with an even greater love and joy. We never knew what life could be until we truly began to experience His love and grace. When we became His, He gave us the assurance that we can always trust in His presence and His care. He has shown us over and over again that we can place our trust and our lives in His loving hands.

How often we have faced situations that we thought we could never possibly bear alone, and we called upon Him in faith. We experienced His grace as He infused His strength into us and gave us the assurance of His presence and love. And as we have reflected on these times, it has given us more strength and trust in Him, and hopefully in sharing our stories, we have encouraged others to look to Him for the peace and comfort He can give.

In the midst of life with all its troubles and sadness, God gives us “His Song“.  It is a song that allows us to overcome whatever may be going on in our lives. And it is the wonderful truth that He is our strength and that we can trust in Him. God loves His people and He keeps us in His care. We have His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that we can always find hope and rest in Him.

Real praise flows out of a grateful heart, and God delights in us when we are so filled with praise for Him, that we break into joyful singing. May we remember more of these times of gratitude and let our hearts “leap for joy” at the thought of His goodness to us.  Let’s share our song with others and let them, too, know the strength, peace, and joy they can find in Him.

Prayer

Dear Lord, we praise your most glorious name for giving us the grace to trust in you. Thank you for always being our strength and our shield in times of  fear and despair, and for putting a song in our hearts. Amen