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He is My Defender
Andrea Lende • July 31, 2021
Psalm 94:18-19
He is My Defender
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/He-is-My-Defender-e159n6i
Psalm 94:18-19
“When I said, My foot is slipping, Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, held me up.”
“In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, You comfort, cheer and delight my soul!”
The Lord continues to bathe my soul in His assurance that He will hold me up through difficult times.
Maybe you need this assurance as well.
The anxieties of each day mount up and try to overtake me, but the Lord continues to show me He will not let me slip.
He will not let me fall.
Verse twenty-two says, “But the Lord has become my High Tower and Defense, and my God the rock of my refuge.”
He is our Defense.
He comes to our aid and defends us from all wrongdoing.
We are shielded and protected by Him even when the outlook is dismal.
We are taken care of in every possible way even when we see the impossible.
I take comfort in knowing the Lord is my Defender.
I take comfort in knowing He is my High Tower.
A place of protection.
He is my refuge.
So, as the things of this world weigh heavy on my heart and my foot feels like it is slipping, I know He holds me up.
This race we find ourselves in is already won.
It is won at His feet.
It is won in resting in His love.
Today I choose to sit at the feet of the One Who is Lord of my heart and rest in Him as He fights the battles in my life.
May you find the Lord is your Defender and High Tower and has already won the battles you face.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me You are my Defense and my Defender. Thank You for reminding me You are my High Tower where I can take refuge. Lord, once again, I come to You with an anxious heart and ask for Your peace. May Your peace descend upon me. May Your peace wrap around me like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s day. May You calm my deepest fears and keep me from falling into a deep dark pit. As the enemy continues to come against me help me know You are FOR me. You lift me up from the confines of this world and into Your presence. Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son to make it so. Help me overcome all the chains that bind me to this world. Keep my heart from growing cold and callous in the struggle. Keep my eyes on You, Lord. Keep my heart soft toward You. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM, and I AM watching over you My child, and have already won the battles in your life. Put your care in Me.
Response: Thank You, Almighty God and Father, my refuge, my Defender, and my High Tower.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.