Have you ever been talking to someone and then you suddenly had the feeling that the other person was lying to you in some way? This happens to me sometimes because I am a pretty good discerner of truth. It all started when my children were young and would try to blame the other sibling instead of taking responsibility for their mistakes. It’s a good character trait to have if you are a parent, for sure! But it’s also good to have when dealing with sales people, those who want you to buy no matter what they promise you. Like my mother said, and she heard it from many others before her, “If it sounds too good to be true, then it’s not true.” So, yes, I have become wary over the years of those who promise the moon and the stars, so to speak. But having said all that, there is One in whom I can completely trust. He has never lied to me, never let me down and has always been there for me.

If God says it, it’s true, period! What He says, He will do. Why is God’s Word proven true? Because the Creator of the Universe stands behind it, with all of His authority and power. His promise in this verse is that He is a shield to those who come to Him for protection. I have called on God to be my protector for many years; after all, I spent almost twenty years of my marriage in new places, alone except for the companionship of my children. Thus I learned early in my Christian walk to call on God for protection and help. To be a shield means that you take on whatever is being hurled at the person being attacked, whether they be actual words or just attacks in the mind, imaginary people breaking in during the long night hours of aloneness. I don’t remember lying awake and fretting at all during those years. I just rested, knowing that God is watching over me. He has been there for me, and since His Word says that He doesn’t play favorites, He will be there for you. When others try to break down the barrier that God has set up, He will stand firmly in front of you, protecting you because of His great love for you and because He fulfills His promises. His Word is true and you can count on Him to do what He says. As I face multiple medical tests, followed by surgery, I can count on God to be with me through every long night that I face. Am I anxious? I would be lying if I said that I’m not. But the bottom line is that I know that God is right there; He hasn’t moved and this whole surgery thing did not surprise him. However, that being said, I am sleeping well each night, as I wait for the tests and the surgery. God’s timing is perfect, even though I may not understand it or like it; I have to believe that He had the doctors find this problem in this time for a reason, so that He will receive glory in some way. I am not excited to go into the Christmas season facing surgery, but I am excited to see what God is going to do. Aren’t you? Do you wake up daily with the expectation that it’s a good day to be alive and to serve God? That’s the attitude that He wants in His children. He keeps all of His promises, so we can count on Him to make our days count for Him. My exhortation to you is to go out and have a blessed day, doing what God leads you to do, in the way and in the time that He leads you to do it. Furthermore, I ask that you be a person who keeps your word, just as God does, so that others know that they can count on you in all things, for all times. That’s the mark of a Christian, being a truth teller and a promise keeper. Blessings!