“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”
-Psalm 91:4
As I held my baby’s feverish body against my chest I recited Psalm 91 and prayed once again for God to protect my child; to cover her with His feathers and shelter her with His wings. I turn to this psalm often when I am concerned about my babies, and I try to really meditate on the meaning of these verses. As I rocked my sick little one to sleep I thought about what it means for His faithful promises to be my armor and protection. I asked myself, “How can I practically use His promises as armor and protection?” and “What are they protecting me from?” As the questions rolled around in my head I heard the Lord’s whisper, “Remember all the times my faithful promises have been proven faithful and true in your life, and they will protect you from your fear.” By remembering the times that the Lord came through for me and proved His promises to be true, my faith was strengthened and I saw God for who He is with greater clarity.
When we turn to His promises, we see the One who promised. That’s what this is all about. Not that we put all our faith and hope in the promise itself, but in the Promiser. For through His promises His character is revealed and we see Him more clearly. When fears, doubts, or other distractions endanger our faith, we can turn to God and His Word for help.
The Bible is jam-packed with God’s promises and truth that will strengthen us if we cling to it. The more of God’s promises we soak up into our hearts, the more armor and protection we will have. I’m not implying that these are the only promises or purposes that can serve as armor and protection and reveal the nature of God, but if we can pick just a handful of promises to cling to as armor and protection, it’s a good start. Here are five faithful promises that reveal to us the character of God and can serve as armor to protect our faith.
- God promises to be with me; to never leave or forsake me.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6
- God promises to protect me and watch over me at all times.
“He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” – Psalm 121:3-4, 7-8
- God doesn’t promise that I will never go through trials, but He does promise that they will not consume or destroy me.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:2
- God promises that my future is in His hands and it is good.
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11
- God promises that His love for me is unfailing, never changing, and unending.
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” – Isaiah 54:10
My dear sisters, as I type this I pray that you will find rest in the shelter of the Almighty no matter what you are walking through today. He is covering you with His feathers and sheltering you with His wings. May His faithful promises be your armor and protection. I pray that you will see Him clearly in your midst and that He would reveal to you just how much He loves you. He is on your side! As you walk in the armor and protection of the Almighty God, may victory be yours today!
