“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
Have you ever watched a kid who thinks they’re invincible? They run full-speed, jump off things they probably shouldn’t, and somehow assume their scraped knees and bruised elbows won’t slow them down. My nephew Henderson is that kid—he’s fearless.
We were at a hotel pool last summer, and without hesitation, he’d take off running and cannonball into the water. The thing is… Henderson doesn’t know how to swim. And let’s just say his “low center of gravity” (my nice way of saying he’s built like a 30-pound bowling ball) meant he’d go down quicker than my bank account after payday.
But here’s the wild part: Henderson wasn’t afraid at all. Every single time, his dad was there to catch him, lift him up, and set him safely back on the edge of the pool. It was like watching a trust exercise on repeat. No hesitation, no second-guessing—just pure confidence that his dad’s strength and protection would never fail him.
Psalm 28:7 reminds me of that scene. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.” Just like Henderson trusted his dad to catch him, we can trust God to be our strength when we feel weak and our shield when life feels overwhelming.
Here’s the thing about God as our shield: He doesn’t promise there won’t be waves or that we won’t feel like we’re sinking sometimes. But He does promise to be there, ready to lift us up and steady us when the weight of life gets too heavy.
We’re a lot like Henderson in that pool. Life has a way of tossing us into deep waters we’re not equipped to handle on our own. But the reason we can face those moments without fear is because God is always there. His strength is steady, His protection is sure, and He’s never once dropped us.
So, what’s your “hotel pool” right now? Where do you feel like you’re in over your head? Trust that God is with you—your strength, your shield, and the One who never lets you sink.
— Paul, LifeSongs
Reflective Question:
What situation in your life feels overwhelming right now? How can you trust God to be your strength and shield in the middle of it?
Prayer:
“God, I want to jump into Your arms with the reckless trust of a child jumping into a hotel pool!”
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