As a child, I encountered several bullies at school. There were times, the fear of going to school was so great. I was scared of meeting those girls who used to maltreat me. They were in my class and the thought of spending hours with them each day made my life miserable. I loved school and academically I was good but fear of my bullies made going to school a very hard decision. After several complaints, and my parents and great-grandmother visiting the school, the bullying stopped. The Lord used my parents and my great-grandmother to shield me from the bullies. Years later, the girls, now women, still remember the caution they received from the school to stay away from me. I am not afraid of them anymore and any time I visit my native country, I am always excited to see them and so are they! My experience reminds me that there are times that our best strength could accomplish nothing. We need to rely on another for sustenance. One of the many reasons every child needs a guardian is for safety. We live in an adult-world and all over the world, children are at risk of bullies, pedophiles, abusers, etc. Every step a child keeps away from their guardians (including parents, foster parents, teachers etc.) is a step closer to the wrong person. Our response to protecting the children has been stricter laws and legislation across countries to ensure that the children are safe. But, who ensures the safety of adults? Who takes care of the children when they are outside the purview of parents and guardians? Who watches over all people even in the most unlikely places? How do we navigate the ever increasing hostile world? We all know that our governments are doing an amazing job at security and safety. Different measures have been put in place including security systems to ensure that all is safe. However, the government agencies are not omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. Their knowledge is limited to their jurisdiction and where they have coverage. So what do we do? The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. (Psalms 28:7) It is important to obey local laws and regulations about security and safety. Most importantly, we need to trust the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God for sustenance. We need to draw our strength from Him. We need to acknowledge Him as our shield. King David in the Bible had been a warrior throughout his life and was aware of the need for strength and a good shield for security and safety. He noted in Psalms 28:7 that: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Similarly in Psalms 121, the Psalmist considered how the Lord keeps and watches over His own. Our best efforts cannot save us from our oppressors. We need God’s strength and shield to wade the blows and the arrows of the enemies. His strength is our strength and His shield is our shield. The Lord is our keeper! Rejoice in the Lord and sing for praise for He is our strength and shield. Trust in the Lord! I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalms 121:1-8)
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