God Is My Defender I Can Count On
I speak words like, “God is my defender” and “Rescue me quickly”, often. Because without fail, I fast-track with Him spirit-to-spirit. Leaning on Him reminds me of a frequent childhood occurrence.
My beautiful Welsh pony “Prince” leaned his body into mine when I stood beside him. It was his way of saying “I love you.” This intelligent animal sensed my emotions. Likewise, I picked up on his needs too. We lived as best buddies because we were. He wouldn’t hurt me for anything and I felt the same way.
I locked those precious associations we had in my memory. Even more cherished are times when I lean unto God my defender.
God Is My Defender Even When I Doubt
In my mind’s eye, I see God delivering me from evil. There’s no need to leave His throne in heaven because angels follow me and the Holy Spirit lives inside me. For every unpredictable event hammering away at my resolve to stay calm, He is my mainstay and ministering spirits stand ready to help.
Still, uncertain feelings have a way of fluttering to the surface to clobber faith. My imagination envisions nameless intruders and unwelcome invaders attacking my body, mind, and spirit (my creative side takes imagination a step further).
To put a stop to constant musings and pondering the growing evil in the world, I kibosh those feelings and acknowledge I serve a VERY BIG GOD. And I sing. It might be a hymn or a Psalm like the one below. Normally, Christians read Psalms but songs of praise get deep inside you when you sing them. Make up your own tune or chant the words.
Psalm 18:1-6
I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Other Reasons Why God Is My Defender
- God is described as a rock of strength, a fortress, a shield, and a stronghold. He is my sanctuary I run to for physical, mental, and spiritual restoration.
- Adversaries don’t threaten God. He isn’t afraid of kings and other people in power. They are mere men. What happens in this world doesn’t surprise Him. What I see with my eyes sometimes frightens me. Then, I look at everything God made which exudes power and majesty.
- Nothing can harm me eternally and separate me from God. Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- God is my defender because I feed my need for Him. Without a doubt, I am weak and He is strong. In Jesus’ absence from the earth, He prayed to keep me. I believe He does that. John 17:11 – “And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
The Lord Is My Defender
What in this world remains the same? Nearly nothing. God is just, right, and fair all the time. He never changes. That’s why I can count on Him to be the same. People and things are shifting alliances.
To attempt to defend myself without God, I might resort to David’s lunatic behavior. Alone and outnumbered, He was unsafe among King Achish of Gath and his servants. Slobbers and crazy behavior convinced others to stay back a safe distance.
I Samuel 21:11 – 22:1
The servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in their dances: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be insane in their [Philistine] hands, and scribbled on the gate doors, and drooled on his beard. Then said Achish to his servants, You see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Have I need of madmen, that you bring this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?So David departed and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
David faced opposition nearly his entire life. Adversaries sought to kill him. I don’t face that level of opposition but not everyone likes me. My words are frequently misunderstood, and people attack my Christian motives and beliefs. My flesh wants to retaliate by exchanging insults for insults. But God has a better plan and He’s a far better defender.
I try to live this scripture even when I fail.
Psalm 62:5-7
My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved. With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God!
God Is My Defender and Secure Hope
I began this post by relaying how I trusted my precious pony as a tween. That tranquil life didn’t remain my reality. When becoming an adult, I never knew people could be mean when I took daring steps forward. Some individuals see what’s good in others and attempt to kill it so it doesn’t spread.
On top of that, I gained a constant accuser of the brethren (Satan) when I accepted Jesus as my Lord. To offset evil deeds, I can’t look to people, animals, and things for security. The bottom line: I must go to the rock who is higher than me, my God, my strength. God is my defense.
Psalm 61:2
From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me].
You and I may find temporary substitutes for God but there is no better defender than Him. God our defender will never forsake us.