The Shield
What a weekend! The junior high group was crazy busy this weekend. It all kicked off Friday night with the Jars of Clay/Switchfoot/Third Day concert which was AWESOME! Then we had a blast playing laser tag Saturday night. I am so blessed to be working with such an amazing group of kids.
Sunday morning…where to start. Well, we had a bit of an off week this week. So, I really encourage any parents reading this to chat with your kids about it.
We kicked it off by recapping the book of Exodus for the most part. We talked about the Israelites in Egypt, their predicament of slavery and their complete hopelessness. We briefly hit on the biography of Moses before getting to the good stuff. As you may or may not know, we are talking about being God’s people by looking at examples from the past and application to our lives today. This week we were focusing on how God saves his people. We talked about how God worked to save his people from their plight and lead them to freedom.
And now the points I wish I had made more clear. First of all, I think it is important to understand GOD STILL SAVES US. No, it might not be in such a dramatic fashion as the exodus, but he saves us. Another word that comes to mind is that he protects us. When I think of God in this way, I tend to think of him as an umbrella. Or maybe a shield. I suppose a shield is a bit more dramatic, not to mention sturdy. The image that sticks in my mind most from the actual exiting part of the Exodus story is the river closing in around the Egyptians after the Israelites reach dry land on the other side. God protected his people from their pursuers. He placed himself as a shield between his people and the harm that chased them.
It’s the same for us today. We may not have a dramatic story, but He is there to protect us if we ask him. I love Psalm 28 because it says exactly that (verses 6-9):
“Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be there shepherd and carry them forever.”
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Our kids face a lot of pressure. Pressure from school to be the smartest. Pressure from sports to be the fastest and strongest. Pressure from parents to be the best. Pressure from church to be the most pure. Pressure from friends to be the most popular. While it may seem easy, sometimes, we just need to be saved from whatever pressure is eating away at us today. And that is when we should turn to God. He is our shelter from the storm, our shield from flaming arrows. All we have to do is call out to him. And while this may seem sad and for situations of turmoil, it should be a message of hope. We do not have to sit and darkness and face our troubles alone. God is beside us to take the sting out of whatever pains us. God is there to pick us up and hold us safe. And we should find joy in that.
Next week, the lesson is about how God fights for us. I know that sounds similar to the idea of God as a shield. But in my mind, God, our shield, holds us steady while God, our champion to fight for us, goes out ahead of us and clears a path for us to follow. I think it could be a great lesson and one that I’m already excited about. I pray that everyone has a great week. God bless.
