For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. Psalms 5:12
It is encouraging to remember that the Lord will always be by your side; He will never leave you nor forsake you. More than that, He has your back. There are situations every day that you are not even aware of, things that you do not see, that are handled by the Lord because He has your back.
Once, King David was at war with the Philistines (It seems as if David was always at war, which was a type of our life today – every day we are to fight the good fight of faith. The enemy is always out to steal, kill and destroy, so, we too are always at war against the devil!) as recorded in Second Samuel Chapter twenty-one, and, even though he was a giant slayer, at this particular time he had grown faint. One of the giant’s sons thought he could take advantage of the situation and kill David but Abishai, one of David’s mighty men, slew the giant — he had David’s back.
Not only is the Lord with you and by your side and covering your blind spots, He literally has you covered as with a shield. When you choose to walk in obedience to the Word of God and put your faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, you are surrounded with God’s favor. In this world, it may seem as if you are surrounded sometimes but not by God’s favor. You might feel as if the enemy has you surrounded — every way you turn it seems you are facing just another challenge.
Once, in Second Kings Chapter six, the prophet Elisha was surrounded by an army with horses and chariots. From Elisha’s servant’s perspective, there was no hope and he expressed as much to his master. But, Elisha asked the Lord to give his servant a peek into the spirit realm and he saw why Elisha wasn’t bothered by the presence of the enemy. Elisha was surrounded by heavenly horses and chariots of fire! God delivered the entire Syrian army into the hands of Elisha. It doesn’t matter how big or powerful the enemy seems to be, one glance into the spirit realm reveals the army of the Lord has the matter well in hand.
You will have days when you seem to be surrounded by challenges and, in the natural it could look as if the enemy has the upper hand. At times like these, you always have a weapon against the enemy to shield you and keep you safe. Sometimes it may not be a physical battle so much as it is a battle for your mind, your thoughts, your emotions. When you commit your situation to the Lord, He will guard your heart and your mind — He has you covered; He has the situation well in hand.
And what is this wonderful force field that God puts around you to keep you and guard you and protect you? His favor. When you accept the depths of God’s love for you and see yourself as God sees you, then you begin to trust Him to take care of you. Because of His favor upon your life, the enemy has no hold over you. The Lord has redeemed you as His own and you are under His care now; you are surrounded with God’s favor!