S167P7 – Sources of joy: his shield of favor
Psa. 5:11-12
[L]et all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.
The source of these verses and his circumstance give us important context here. Earlier in this chapter, David made mention of his enemies. This protection or refuge he referenced here is from those very enemies. This is a man who was running from the King and whose life hung in the balance. He had to hide in caves, which are high above the ground and seem only accessible to the ibex and the birds of the air. This man, alone and running for his life, is the one who spoke of rejoicing in God’s protection. He talked about the Lord shielding him with favor, but anyone on the outside looking in would have thought David had been forsaken by his God.
God’s shield of favor can look much different than we expect. His hand of protection can be less about what we see and more about what we do not see. If the Lord provides you with a refuge made of four walls and a ceiling and a locked door, that looks like clear and obvious protection. That structure would make you feel safer than a cave with no door which could be filled with who knows what kinds of critters. It also would make one feel safer than a makeshift burrow in the ground hidden under the brush. However, God’s protection is not necessarily about what is physically evident. His shield of favor can employ any number of methods, but it is up to us to believe and trust in the truth of this favor regardless of what we see.
When we review the context of this chapter as a whole, it is believable that David was praising God for his protection not after the fact but in the moment. Regardless of his experience or what he could see at the time, David believed that God would grant him favor. David knew this to be a truth of God’s, and that is why he could rejoice in it. Likewise, we do not need to see this at work to know that it is at work. We only need to confess and believe that our faithful God will grant us the shield of favor reserved for those whom He makes righteous. Father, help us to rejoice in what seem like times of danger and peril because we know that You will grant us your shield of favor.