GOD: MY SUN AND SHIELD - PART 3

WEDNESDAY 26 JULY 2023

In this final part, I want to say something very unmistakable and pivotal in Christian faith, which is also suggestive of the importance of this topic. Outside God, there is no real sun and shield. In grasping that alone, I believe that we can fully comprehend the mind of the Psalmist, which I panted so much to expound in all parts of my articles regarding this topic. All away from God walks in darkness, but everyone in Him functions in true light. The more this truth pervades our hearts and minds, the easier we can lose ourselves in the splendours of His throne room, anytime we approach Him with the confidence of accurate understanding that He is our sun and shield.

Reference: Psalm 84:11 English Standard Version (ESV) "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."

The next segment is: the LORD bestows favour and honour, which is advantageous for various stages of elevation in our Christian living. Why is "favour and honour" an added advantage? No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Further, be reminded that in some translations, "favour and glory" was used to replace "favor and honour", simply because glory is similar to honour, or closely associated with it. For instance, the Voice translation reads, "For the Eternal God is a sun and a shield. The Eternal grants favor and glory...", while the MSG translation says, "All sunshine and sovereign is God, generous in gifts and glory."

To that effect, Isaiah 60:1-2 reads, "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you" (NASB). When God, our sun, rises upon us, we increase in degrees of His glory. That's how He bestows favour and honour. In another sentence, His glory brings the favour and honour that shine forth in our lives.

How do we behold the glory of God which has already risen upon us? We do so in the light of His Son Jesus Christ, who dwells in us as the hope of glory (see Colossians 1:27 NIV), bearing in mind that He is the light of the world and the sun of righteousness. The Bible says, "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV). As we behold the glory of God in the Word, we are transformed in an ever-increasing measure - into His image, by His light, which grants an extraordinary experience and expression of His glory in our lives.

In conclusion, the Bible says, "And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen" (Revelation 7:11-12 NLT).

Beloved, these are all kinds of favour the LORD bestows on us: Blessing, glory, wisdom, thankfulness, honour, power and strength. They all come from Him as our sun and shield, for no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 5:12; Daniel 1:9; Psalm 68:19; Psalms 89:17.

Guided Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for the advent of Christ in the world, which brought the light of salvation and enormous influence of grace, honour and glory into my life. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind, and today, I'm grateful that in Him I live, move and exist. All true light derives their origin from you, and as a new creation in Christ, I daily experience the streams of divine flow of light like a fountain, in Jesus' Name, Amen!