April 12

 
“But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One Who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.” (Psalm 3:3-6)

 
There is perhaps no greater joy than the joy of God’s peace and perfect security – even against all odds. Those of us who live in Western cultures during the dawn of the 21^st century have little understanding of what it is like to live in a place where you are not secure and that your safety and the safety of your family is always uncertain day after day. This kind of security is a rather rare artifact of this time in which we live, and things have not always been this way. As we read in this psalm of David, even though he was the great king of Israel, security was not something that he ever took for granted. In today’s passage, we discover that the king’s security was entirely embedded in his faith. David realized that all he required was the very Presence of his Lord Master – the eternal Wellspring of all his peace. At this midday, let us consider that nothing whatsoever has changed for the elect of God. You and I may one day wake up in a culture that is no longer secure. But whether we live in such dystopian chaos or in great security, we should keep the words of David found in this scripture always at the forefront of our spiritual awareness. For indeed, it is our Lord Who always sustains us and Who is ever our Mighty Protector. Safely surrounded by such an unchanging peace and perfect security, we may always lay down and sleep with the simple repose of a child. For when we awake, we will discover that we were held during the night by the very Presence of the Most High God Who never sleeps or slumbers! (Psalm 121:4)

 
Before the King at Midday

 
“Blessed Protector, Sustainer of life, and Guarantor of perfect peace, seal me today round about with Your mighty hedge and keep me just as You have promised in Psalm 34 of Your Word – that ‘the Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!’ Amen.”