Dial-a-Devotion -- January 30th

In the name of Jesus our Savior, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church welcomes you to ‘Dial-a-Devotion’, this is Vicar Tom Schlund.  Our text for today is Psalm 33:20-22 which reads:

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.


There was a time in history, a time before airplanes and bombs, before computer guided missiles, and chemical warfare, when the shield was a crucial part of a military member’s equipment. Shields could come in different sizes and protected the holder from incoming spears and arrows that came from a distance and from swords and other close range attacks. 

The shield was so important because it protected the solider from all of the attacks around him.  Without the shield he was vulnerable and easily attacked and could even be killed if he wasn’t careful.  These days you will still see soldiers using body armor and other ways to protect him/herself, but the shield is no longer the common way.

In our text today we hear the Psalm writer call God our shield.  He says, “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our shield.  We know that God has promised to be with his people – that is you and me – always to the end of time.  We know that we have nothing to fear with this kind of protection. 

But why?  Why would the supreme God, the creator of the universe care about you and protecting you?  Well the psalmist answers that too when he says, “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”  God’s created all things out of his love and he loved all that he created.   This love is what caused him to stay with his people, to be their shield and to promise to send a savior.  It is this love that caused Jesus to be born, to suffer, to die, and to rise all for you. 

So know, because you have been loved and protected, that you can trust in this promise without fail.  Go, and share this hope and love with those around you. 

Let us pray:

Dear gracious heavenly Father, thank you for loving us enough to be our shield. Help us to trust your promise to love us and protect us.  We ask this all in Jesus’ name, Amen.