On the Side without a Shield

 

https://youtu.be/tgw1hIcW34k

Surviving the Game ~ Skillet 

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield]. ~ Psalm 121:5 AMPC

If the right hand is your working side, why did the verse also specify that the Lord’s on the side not carrying a shield. As a warrior, your shield gives you protection. When you feel protected, you won’t run from the enemy. Instead, you’ll either stand your ground, or advance in battle. 

I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. ~ Psalm 16:8 AMPC

If the left side carries the shield for protection and confidence, then the Lord provides that for you on your right side. He stands at your side and gives you a weapon to wield.

Last week, I had the opportunity to walk one of the 3rd grade classes through the temptations of Jesus. We discussed the importance of knowing scripture as a way to overcome temptation. Just as we weren’t given a sword to hang it on a belt, we weren’t given a Bible to keep it closed on a table. There’s nothing scary about either scenario. But swinging a sword and studying scripture...that makes us a dangerous threat to the enemy.

 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword … ~ Hebrews 4:12 AMPC

But we were created to do more than just fight. We are God’s workmanship, called to do the good works He planned in advance for us, (Ephesians 2:10). That reminds me of Nehemiah and the Jews who worked to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. As they worked, the enemy came against them. Because the opposition was so fierce, “[those] who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked,” (Nehemiah 4:17-18 NIV). That sounds like a rather clunky way to work. But if you are expected to be a warrior--defending yourself and your home--as well as a worker, you’d need to do both. Though the expectation is still there for us, it’s not as literal as this picture.

Most of us will not have to fight and work that way, but we’re still expected to do both. I think, at some point, we have all fallen into the trap of believing that spiritual warfare is for one season, and doing God’s work is for another. But the truth is, we are called to do them simultaneously. God gave us weapons for spiritual warfare so that we could fight and remain standing, while doing the work that God prepared for us.

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that … you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ~ Ephesians 6:13 NIVUK

The Lord is your keeper: your guard, preserver, and Shepherd. 

The Lord is your shade: as near as your shadow for your protection and

refreshment. 

He’s on your right side: on your working side - providing skills, wisdom,

guidance, perseverance, strength, courage, determination, and

encouragement. 

He’s on the side not carrying a shield: on your warfare side -

providing spiritual weapons, like the sword of the Spirit.

The Lord has positioned Himself to be near to you, providing everything you need, in every circumstance. Whatever you need today, receive it from Him and get moving!

©Heather Potts 2021

On Your Right Side

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f4MUUMWMV4

Goodness of God ~ Bethel Music

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand... ~ Psalm 121:5 AMPC

Growing up, my grandparents had an in-ground pool, which, of course, had to be cleaned. The skimmer was useful for catching leaves on top of the pool. The vacuum, however, was best for getting everything that was at the bottom, especially in the deep end and harder-to-reach places. I confess that when I recently read Psalm 121, I skimmed right over verses 3-8 and spent more time on the familiar verses. But God had more that He wanted me to explore, so He took me back and helped me to draw out the deeper riches, especially in verse 5.

Throughout the Bible, many verses refer to the “right side,” which I’ve always heard is the “holy side.” While studying Psalm 121:5, I learned that Bible commentators also believe that it’s the “working side.” As a mom, I could relate to that, because when my girls were both little, I often held one on my left, while trying to do something else with my right hand.

As I continued to ponder the idea of the working side, Holy Spirit gave me a picture of Jesus sitting on God’s right side. Jesus’ last words on the Cross were, “It is finished.” Then, after ascending to heaven, He sat down at Father God’s right hand, demonstrating that the work of salvation is complete. I’m sure you know you don’t have to work to earn your salvation. Hopefully, you also realize that you don’t have to work to earn His love. It’s already freely yours. Yes, we are called to do good works, but as Graham Cooke says, “Work comes after love, not before. Love comes first, and the works come out of that love.”

Everyone is working hard these days, being pulled and stretched. Sometimes God allows the stretching to show off His glory, and sometimes to prepare you for the next step on the journey. Regardless of the reason, He’s always with you, loving you, encouraging you, and giving you the wisdom and skills needed when you turn to Him. As you go throughout your day, stop and thank Jesus for standing on your working side and for completing the work, so that you only have to walk in it.

©Heather Potts 2021

Your Shade

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_gCSJI6DKM

Jireh ~ Elevation Worship and Maverick City

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade … Psalm 121:5 AMPC

We loved playing hide-and-seek as children. My grandparents had the best house for it: they had tall bushes and trees near the front of the house and a way to hide under the front porch. It didn’t take me long to figure out that the closer I got to the house, under the porch, the more hidden I was in the deeper shadows. Of course, that meant I had to get over my fear of whatever else might also be under the porch. We don’t often associate shadows with God, but Psalm 31:20 says, “In the cover of your presence you hide [those who take refuge in you],” (ESV).

Psalm 121:5 says the Lord is our shade. As a shade, He is always near, never further away than your shadow. He provides protection, both from the toils of the day and from enemies. And as your shade, the Lord gives you refreshment: The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail, (Isaiah 58:11 NIV).

I hope that today, your life is as light and easy as a child at play. However, on both light days and on darker, harder days, remember the child playing hide-and-seek, who discovered the secret, hidden place:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ~ Psalm 91:1-6 NIV

©Heather Potts 2021