93. Щит

We see in the world that people in battle protect themselves from the arrows of enemies with a shield. Christian! Our life is nothing more than a battle, and a battle against various enemies. The battle against the devil and his angels; the battle against the flesh with passions and lusts; battle against an evil and hostile world; the battle against false brothers, the battle against secret and open enemies. The battle is constant and terrible. With what shield can we defend ourselves from the arrows of our enemies on a terrible day? God's holy word points us to faith and the name of the Lord, and all the saints' examples show this, and all true Christians on the day of their sorrow resort to this shield, and thereby protect themselves from the face of the enemy. “God is our refuge and strength, our Helper in the troubles that befall us; therefore we will not fear when the earth shakes and the mountains move to the middle of the seas” * (Ps. 45:2-3). “Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them; They cried to You and were saved; They trusted in You, and did not remain in shame” (Ps. 21:5-6). "God! You are our refuge forever and ever” (Ps. 89:2). Our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, defended themselves with this shield, like a strong wall, as it is written about them: “He did not allow men to offend them, and rebuked kings for them” (1 Chronicles 16:21). Joseph, beautiful in soul and body, was protected under this shield, and the arrows of temptation and misfortune thrown at him did nothing. With this shield, Israel defended itself when it came out of Egypt, defended itself from the enemy and tormentor of its persecutor Pharaoh, and from the enemies encountered and rebelling along the way; under this shield it was preserved from many different enemies, living in the Promised Land. “If the Lord had not been with us,” let Israel say, “if the Lord had not been with us when people rebelled against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us, then the water would have drowned us” (Ps. 124:1-4). Saint David, King of Israel, also resisted them, to all his enemies, as he says of himself: “All the nations despised me, and in the name of the Lord they resisted them; having despised me, they revolted against them in the name of the Lord; Ps.117:10-12). Under it were preserved the prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, saints, hermits and all the saints who have pleased God from time immemorial. They survived in many different temptations, troubles, misfortunes, torments and sufferings. Under this shield, safe and invincible, even today true Christians run, and, defending themselves from the face of the enemy, they dare and sing a beautiful song: “God is our refuge and strength, a helper in sorrows, etc. The Lord of hosts is with us, our Protector, the God of Jacob” (Ps. 45:2, 8). “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:31–32). Saint Paul, the God-loving soul, dares and triumphs over all hell and the power of the enemy. Beloved Christian! Satan and all his evil spirits have an indomitable rage against man, and even more so against a true Christian, and, like animals in the night, they go around him invisibly and rise up against him in many different ways, and try to destroy him, either themselves, or through false Christians and other evil people, their servants. Who could have been saved from their slander and arrows if the Lord had not protected him with the shield of His goodness and the shelter of His gracious wings? Truly, he would have died in one minute. Truly, what Saint David sang about the old Israel and about its protection and patronage: “If the Lord had not been with us, let Israel say: if the Lord had not been in us, when people rebelled against us, they would have swallowed us up alive; when their anger flared up against us, the water would have drowned us,” this befits the new Israel, the Christians. Truly, our enemies would have devoured us alive if God had not been with us and kept us. “Blessed be the Lord, who did not give us as prey to their teeth” (Ps. 123:6). From here we see how vain is hope in everything except God. What a rotten support every man is and a false shield for every creature. Therefore, leaving everything behind, we resort to this reliable and invincible shield. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Ps. 118:8-9). Let some defend themselves with cunning and cunning words, others with gold, silver and their other treasures, others with rank and their high titles, others with the intercession of princes and nobles, others with anything else they want. But everything they use to protect themselves is a false and rotten shield. Their hope will deceive them. We will defend ourselves in the name of the Lord and will not be put to shame. Look, Christian, be only God’s, and the name of the Lord will protect you from all the enemy’s slander. “I will love You, O Lord, my strength! The Lord is my strength and my refuge, my Savior, my God, my Helper and I trust in Him; My protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my intercessor. With praise I will call on the Lord and I will be saved from my enemies” (Ps. 17:2-4). “Even if I walk in the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Ps. 22:4). “You are my refuge from the sorrow that has come over me. My joy, deliver me from those who surround me” (Ps. 31:7). “You are my Helper, I sing to You, for You are my Advocate, my God, my mercy” (Ps. 59:18). When a Christian is in the grace of God and in the help and protection of the Most High, then, even if all evil people, the whole light, the whole world, all the devils and hell, move and rebel against him, and all the troubles and misfortunes that happen in the world surround him, he will not succeed in anything. Since God is the strongest of all, for in His almighty right hand He holds him, protects and preserves him. Fear not, pious and God-loving soul. “He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from rebellious words, and under His wings you will be safe, His truth will protect you with a shield. You will not be afraid of the horrors of the night, the arrow that flies during the day, the disaster that befalls at night, illness and the midday demon. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but he will not come near you” (Ps. 90:3-7). This is what this entire psalm teaches. Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: