The Lord is My Defense

Psalm 27:1 says,

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?"

When I read this scripture the other day, I was so empowered! Most of us have heard the first part of this verse many times before. "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?" We've quoted this verse, prayed this verse, believed in this verse, and are encouraged that God leads us, directs us, and is our salvation.

...BUT...

How often have we read the second part of Psalm 27:1 and truly believed it in the same way?? "The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?" This was such a revelation to me to think, God is MY defense. When you put God up in defense against anything in your life, HE WILL WIN! There is no question, God reigns victorius, therefore, He will always be able to defend you, according to His will.

When I think of the Lord as my defense, I have always been reminded of the scriptures that say God goes before me in all things and God is on my side. I've also paired it with the book of James, which tells us that we will face trials, persecutions, and challenges, but God will grow and further develop us thru each process, so that we will be "lacking in nothing." God will defend, support, and help us in our time of need. He is our defense!

This time, however, when I thought of the Lord as my defense, I was reminded of one of my favorite t.v. shows...Law & Order. For those of you who have never seen Law & Order, every show has various cases that they are working to solve and then bring to court. Every episode has at least one scene that takes place in the Court Room, in which you will find a few very important things:
1. a judge
2. a jury
3. the prosecution
4. the defense

I started thinking of what it meant for God to act as my defense in this sense. Any case that is been brought against me, no matter what the allegations/charges are, no matter what the evidence shows, no matter what kind of argument the prosecution brings, no matter what the jury decides, the Lord is MY DEFENSE. Can you imagine or think of every court room of circumstance, situation, mistake, fault, sin, etc. that you have gotten yourself into, where GOD came to your DEFENSE?!?! As I said earlier, God reigns victorious, so when God is the defense of your life and acts as your defense attorney for your situation, He wins ALL his cases!

Anytime I hear the word DEFENSE, I am also reminded of football (of course!) and the role that the defense plays. Here are some "nuggets" (as I like to call them) that I received while meditating on the role of defense in football and how that relates to God as our defense.

1. The defense keeps the opposing offense from scoring and from winning.
God, our defense, keeps the enemy from overcoming in our lives.
2. Although your own team's offensive goal is to score and win, the defense also has the capability to overcome the opposing offense.
When we are weak and our faith falls short, God, our defense, can and will overcome on our behalf.
3. Without the defense, you cannot win. Without the defense, there is no team and there is no football. Without God we have nothing and can be overcome by anything. Without God, our defense, we are nothing.
4. The defense has the ability and the skill to intercept and/or stop the forces of the opposing offense. Interceptions and fumbles are a reality of a good defense.
God, our defense, will intercede on our behalf. He knows the schemes and the plans of the enemy and can stop them.
5. The defense has the power to provide an advantage and a help for your own offense.
God, our defense, will provide opportunites for us where there were none before. God opens and shuts doors for us, with our best interest at heart.

Amanda