inthemorning

Titus Women

In The Morning
by Frances Hughes

Psalm 5:3

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and I will look up." KJV

Verse 12 "For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield." KJV

Gen. 15:1 "Fear not Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceedingly great reward." KJV

Now, I don't know about you, but when I read these verses I feel like shouting from the house tops the "Good News" about the Lord and His great and willing sacrifice for us.

More frequently shield is mentioned in the OT, while in the NT I found only one.

Eph. 6:16 "Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the firey darts of the wicked." KJV

This verse is included in this portion of Scripture where we are instructed in the putting on of the Armor of God for protection from our evil enemy who seeks to destroy all Christians. Can you see how important it is for us to be so well grounded and taught by the Holy Spirit from the Bible that we can be able to survive any manner of circumstances that should befall us.

Psalm 91:4 "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." KJV

Prov.30:5 "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield unto those who put their trust in Him." KJV

Just think about that: every word of God is PURE! How wonderful! I become overwhelmed when I read things like this and feel very thankful to have been called to Himself through salvation. I can not give you an explanation for this. I know it is for His pleasure that He makes the choices. We also make choices of great importance in this matter. It is necessary we make the right ones. I pray that you have and if not that you will.

In those olden times of the Old Testament the shield and buckler were an important part of a soldier's attire. I suppose everyone is familiar with what a shield is. It can mean several things depending on the frame of reference.

For example:

To be protected from some hurtful attack on one's person, a shield of metal or likewise is often used to prevent harm to them. Sometimes you will see these used by police in riots and other situations where people become out of hand and restraint must be used for law and order to prevail.

Another instance of the used of a shield is when in acts of danger, out of love for the person about to be hurt, a person will use their body to shield that person from harm and danger. You often read of a mother putting her body over her child in accidents.

Often times when we are outside on a very sunny day, if we want to look at something that is very bright, we will use our hands as a shield from the sun. This enables us to see better what we are looking at. This is usually recommended for viewing the eclipse of the sun. We are cautioned to never try to look at the sun with the naked eye, we should use some sort of shield.

In other words a shield can be defined as something that can be put around you, or put between you and the danger involved in the situation. The Lord says He will be our shield. This can be for many reasons. To shield us from attacks of the evil one, to keep us from bodily harm in accidents. There can be many reasons and incidents that appear in our daily lives. These I have mentioned are in my thinking physical ones.

There are even more important examples such as; in the spiritual realm, God who is in control of everything in our lives, can use situations and other people for our protection from many types of danger, a perfectly unknown happening in our own life and we know nothing of what is going on in this area. He uses pastors, teachers, friends, loved ones, etc. to point out through counseling, preaching or study of the Word the way of life we as Christians should follow.

When we obey the Word of God sent through these people, then a shield is put in place to perform God's will in the situation. If we obey what God tells us to do and reverence His guidance, then how can any harm befall us. This may sound a little strange to some of you, but I think if you read God's Word, pray for His leadership and seek to do His will to please Him, how can you go wrong?

The phrase "in the morning" carries some significance, in that of being refreshed from a good night's sleep already to start another day. To awaken and immediately have your thoughts turn to God and your service for Him on that day, is one of the most wonderful feelings I get each day when I awaken. If there was anyone here in the house and they would hear me talking out loud to Him, they would call for the "funny farm people" to come and take me away. Living alone as I do, it gives me that privilege and freedom to do so.

In the morning a person usually awakens from a good restful sleep. For those of you who don't have this blessing because of sleepless nights and sickness that catches you unawares, I express my sympathy to you.

To be alive, alert, and able to be used of God is one of the most rewarding things I am able to have in my life. I thank God everyday for giving me another one to serve Him lovingly. My lifestyle may sound dull and boring to some of you, but I can assure you for me it is perfect and fulfilling for the needs I have at present. I seek to write articles to help people who don't have the restful and peaceful life I have. I want them to come to know My Lord as I have. It is all theirs for the asking and the future rewards are indescribable, everlasting and perfect. Salvation offered by Christ is free and you should seek Him out for it, if you do not possess it. May God bless you!

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