Sun and Shield

The Lord is "the Sun of Righteousness". "For you who revere My Name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves." (Malachi 4:2) Jesus is the Light of the World. He is the glorious Source of the light of life. The light of His presence dispels darkness and helps us see the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Christ exposes sin for what it is and shines the light of His forgiveness upon us. The Lord, as a sun, enlightens our mind, warms our heart, and refreshes our soul. He leads/guides/directs us.

The Lord is our Shield/our Protector. He is our Defense who deflects the enemy's attacks and protects us in our spiritual warfare. The attacks might be temptation, lies, doubts, depression, discouragement, fear, or failure, etc. Whatever Satan or the world may throw at us, we can always rely on God to be our Shield. When the Lord Almighty is our Shield, we need not fear anything or anyone. "You, Lord, are a Shield around me, my Glory, the One who lifts my head high." (Psalm 3:3) "The Lord is my Strength and my Shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me." (Psalm 28:7a) "We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield." (Psalm 33:20)

The Lord gives us grace/favor and glory/honor. Not only are we saved by grace alone, but also we live/survive each day by His grace. “But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) When we face trials in life, God’s grace always sustains us and strengthens us. His grace is sufficient for you and me in any situation. When we fail, God's grace is there to forgive us and remind us that He loves us no matter what.The Lord also gives us eternal glory and honor as His adopted children.

The Lord withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. From those who walk by faith in obedience to Him, He will not withhold anything that is good for them ("good" according to His will, wisdom, plans, and purposes, not ours). If we don't get what we ask for, it must not be a good thing for us in God's sight. "God's withholdings are as great a blessing to us as His bestowings!" (~J.R. Miller) God's answers are always wiser than our prayers.

Blessed are those who trust/who put their confidence in the Lord Almighty! Eternally happy! Just look at the previous verse, God Himself is our Provider and Protector. He gives us grace and glory. We can trust God to give us everything that is good for us. Every spiritual blessing is available to us. We're truly blessed. All we need to do is trust and obey.