The last piece of armour we talk about, the last defensive tool, is the shield of faith. We are told here that this shield of faith is what allows us to fend off the ‘fiery darts of the wicked one.’ It reminds me of the ‘brazen walls’ God gave Jerusalem to protect them in land. Proverbs 30.5 tells us that God is a shield to those who trust Him.
The shield imagery is vivid in the Old Testament, but here Paul tells us exactly what that shield it – it is a shield of faith in God and in that what He says is true. When the attacks come they can seem overwhelming and sometimes we have no answer on our own. Doubts and fears assail and there seems to be nothing we can do. I remember the scene from ‘Band of Brothers’ in the Ardennes and the fire was so intense that the troops were totally pinned down. There was no way to defend themselves. Sometimes our lives can seem like that. The attacks keep coming. Trees are exploding and the bullets are relentless. We can’t seem to buy a break.
But we have something that those troops didn’t. We have a shield they didn’t have. We have the shield of faith in the God to protect us. When those things come we can raise our shield and trust God so the doubts and fear don’t win. We need not be pinned down.
That’s why Paul can write that we are not to be full of cares and woes. We need instead to go to God with prayers and supplication giving thanks to God for all He does so that the peace of God that passes all understanding can rule in our hearts.
In the midst of the fight we need to raise our shields and stand fast to God an His word.
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