Daily Devotionals

Bowen's Daily Meditations

Devotional: October 12th

’’ Thou, Lord, art a shield for me." - Psalms 3:3.

In the battle of this world, the Christian is seen without a shield. And just where he is, is the thickest of the fight. The adversary hurls his best forces against that spot, evidently supposing that there is only this impediment between him and victory. It is wonderful then that the Christian should pass scathless through this shower of fiery darts. Those that are in the secret know that - while apparently unprotected - he is in reality defended by an invisible shield. While he abides in faith, God encompasses him round about and nothing can by any means harm him.

The Lord is a shield to him who has been taught what are the true dangers, what the true enemies, that beset the path of a man through this world - who knows and is not ashamed to confess that the god of this world is a being of tremendous power, with his servants in all high places, with the wisest and greatest of men among his captives, with a plenitude of resources, a knowledge of the heart, that a mere unaided mortal can do nothing against. Formerly he was the subject of that prince. Then at length he became sensible of the wrath of God that Cometh upon the ungodly. " Whither shall I flee, where shall I find a defence?" became his cry of agony. The sky was darkened with the arrows of the Almighty. Then was revealed to him the cross of Christ. He saw that the Son of God was himself his shield, receiving in his own person the storm of wrath that should have come upon him. He has now peace with God. But he becomes exposed to the fierce assaults of the adversary. In the world he has tribulation. Sin seeks to regain dominion over him. But Christ doth not leave him nor forsake him. He is to him a sun and a shield; a sun to give him the light of life, and a shield to protect him in the path of life.

God is a shield to me, says the believer; to me, all to myself. The shield of my fellow soldier will be of little avail to me. I need a shield that I can call my own. And God, with all his perfections, all his grace, is mine as truly as though he were mine alone. All his promises are mine as truly as though no one else had any interest in them. All his providence is mine. There is a blessed and indissoluble connection established by faith, between my weakness and his strength, my danger and his protection, my ignorance and his guidance, my sin and his righteousness, my world-wide necessities and his world-wide sufficiency, my unlimited aspirations and his endless glory.

-