“He is our shield”

Psalm 30:5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.

Verse Reflections:  “Pure” is free of pollutants, dirt or unwanted elements.  God’s word is pure.  He will protect us from danger.  In the old testament they would soak their shields in water so that the burning arrows would extinguish and not burn the shield.  God’s word is like the water that is soaking our shield, protecting us from any ammunition that can come at us.  Imagine today that any burning arrows targeting us will just die out with no power.  Those temptations that have pierced our bodies will not pierce them today.  We are shielded, protected by the word and power of God.  We cannot be tempted by impure, burning foods that do not nourish our bodies.  For me this is a real analogy.  Foods burn into my brain and sear it until I give into the temptation.  It is no accident that this verse combines an image of God’s word with the shield that protects us.  There is awesome, amazing power in God’s word.  The days I read God’s word I am shielded from the temptations of overeating.  Coming from a family of scientists I do not understand His power but I do believe in it.  I have tried for decades to control my eating habits and until I depended on the word of God each day, I have failed.  The word of God gives me the power to just say no to the foods that are processed and create a vicious cycle of cravings.  The beauty of not eating them for a period of time is that physically we will eventually cease to crave them.  The mental cravings can only be overcome through God’s word trust in Him.  When we trust in God, we will start to see ourselves as successful, beautiful, and confident.  That trust will turn our anxieties, our bad days into good days.

Prayer:  Lord today I am going to trust in You.  I am going to carry You as a shield out in front of me to protect me from all the temptations that get fired at me.  Your word promises me that I can overcome temptations and this verse promises me that Your word is pure, untainted.  I am going to claim this promise, I am going to name my success of overcoming my eating temptations.  You created pure foods, healthy foods that will nourish my body and “renew my strength as eagles”.  We are going to be shielded today from the desire to eat foods that do not add to the health of my body.  Lord, why do I even go there?   Why do I want ½ a cup of sugar in brownies ice cream and cookies?  Why do I want to eat fried potato chips?  Why?  I have this amazing body that can type words with each finger, can utter words from within, can bend and move and pick up objects and run.  Why do I want to pour unhealthy items into my body?  I think of the tin man on The Wizard of Oz whose joints would get rusty.  Lord, we are adding foods to our bodies that cause inflammation and make our joints painful and unhealthy.  I know this and yet I still do it.  Father, shield me from myself.  Please come inhabit my body and my mind today.  Thank You for the power in Your pure word.  Thank You for the shield it creates.  Today we are going to be shielded from temptation and we are going to eat God foods.  I love You Lord.  Thank You for giving us this power.