A fortress in the midst of life’s battles
Shield
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But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me.
To the Lord I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill.
Psalm 3:3-4 (NET)
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I enjoy the imagery throughout the Scriptures of the Lord being our stronghold, protector, and shield.
It feels like much of what I want a good, solid, dependable, loving Father to be.
These two verses are one such example.
Just look at all the descriptors in here:
Shield
Glory
Restore
Answer
Holy hill
It paints a picture of how steady and strong God is whenever life has beaten us down.
Or, if I feel like I’m in the middle of a war (like a spiritual war) then God’s protection feels like a fortress. I find relief from the battle and healing from my wounds.
But what do we do when the struggles of life are caused by our own foolishness?
I’m guilty of that, more often than I want to admit.
Yet God is still good.
It’s not like I’ve ever been wise enough to impress God.
So why do I put such pressure on myself to live up to unrealistic expectations?
Some of it is that God calls us to be a holy people. My mistakes are trying to accomplish that through my own effort.
Rather, I simply need to rely on the Holy Spirit to work through me.
His holiness guides me to maturity, not any “good works” that I try to do.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.