Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
But you, Lord, are a SHIELD AROUND ME, MY GLORY, THE ONE WHO LIFTS MY HEAD HIGH. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

–Parallel verse:
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬ ‭AMP‬‬
Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.

In times of anguish, days where sorrow and sadness seem to overwhelm us, we have a shepherd who will guide us through to safety. He is wise and faithful. We can be drained, beat up, bruised, tormented, and/or tortured … no matter the perils we face in the valley of the shadow of death, our shepherd is with us and we do not need to fear.

So how do we keep this perspective, this optimism in hard times? We must allow God to be a shield around us, his spiritual might will be a force-field to protect our hearts from the evil intent of the attacks that may assail us. And we must lift up our heads to follow the lead of our Savior, the Good Shepherd, Jesus.

Just like Peter when he was looking at Jesus walking on the water, we are sustained and energized in trials by fixing our gaze on our Savior. However, when we give focus to the perils and challenges around us and allow those things to take our eyes off of Jesus, we start to sink. The walls cave in and the worries and cares of this world choke out our productivity. We do not produce good fruit.

Jesus talks about these challenges in the Parable of the Sower in ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭20-‭22: “The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
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So we fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬)

Lord, thank you for restoring my soul today. You understand and provide all that I need to stand in challenging times and produce good fruit. So I will take your shield all around me and fix my eyes on you so you can guide me expertly through the rough areas of life!