“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” (Psalm 28:7)
“You lost Mom’s what?!” Ray could not believe his ears. Was his little sister just playing some kind of trick on him?
Susie’s face did not seem like she was joking. She was crying. “I lost Mom’s rings!” she cried out. “After she washed the dishes this afternoon, I saw them where she had put them on the windowsill. When she went to the grocery store, I just got this silly idea. I decided I wanted to try them on my finger, you know, just to try them on. But my finger was too small, and they slipped right off and –!” Susie covered her mouth as though she could not say what horrible things must have happened next.
Ray shook his head as he looked down into the drain. These rings mean a lot to Mom, he thought. There was only one thing to do: Call Mr. Silsbee. Mr. Silsbee was the church janitor, and he was a plumber. He had a funny, scruffy beard, and he always wore the same faded blue denim ball cap. Everyone knew that he was the best plumber in town. If anyone could get Mom’s rings out of that sink safely, it would be Mr. Silsbee. And the way Ray figured it, if Mr. Silsbee could not get the rings out – nobody could!
Mom was still out at the grocery store, so Ray called Dad to explain and to ask permission to call Mr. Silsbee. Dad seemed pretty concerned. “Yes – we need to get him to take a look right away. In fact, I’ll call Mr. Silsbee. You just stay there nearby and make sure no one uses the sink.”
Less than an hour later, Ray and Susie found themselves staring in awe at Mom’s rings – safe and sound – glittering and gleaming on the windowsill! Dad had come home,and Mr. Silsbee had come with him. They had taken the sink apart and got the rings out of a curve in the drainpipe. Susie was not crying anymore. She was smiling from ear to ear, and Ray’s smile was just as big. No wonder Mom looked surprised when she came around the kitchen corner and saw two men and two kids staring at her rings on the windowsill!
Why do you think Ray wanted to call Mr. Silsbee for help? Ray believed that this was an emergency, important situation. Ray also believed that, because Mom’s rings were so important to her, Mr. Silsbee was the best man for the job.
Have you ever found yourself facing an important situation and knowing that you needed help from Someone super-human? God is supernatural, and He is far above human beings in His thinking, in His morality, in His power, and in everthying else. Because of that, we can rely on Him when we need His help. We can call on Him. Psalm 28 talks about how how faithful God is to those who trust Him. He helps people who call on His name for help. That everyday help (everday, but also supernatural) is the kind of help that the psalmist (probably King David) is talking about when he describes His God as “my strength and my shield.”
God has revealed Himself in the Bible to be the kind of God Who is able to answer His people’s most difficult needs, and as the kind of God Who delights in answering their needs. If we meditate (think often) about what God has done for us, and Who He really is, we will probably begin to respond more and more like the psalmist responded in verse 7: praising and rejoicing in such a great God.
God has shown Himself to be the most trustworthy “strength and shield” for believers.
My Response:
» When I face a tough situation, do I try to fix it on my own?
» Does my heart really trust in the LORD?
» What are some ways I can show that I believe God is Who He says He is?