The Shield of Faith

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6:16.

Here faith is compared to a shield which is so good and strong that it is fully capable of guarding us against all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Who would not like to have such a good defense? It is found in our armor, so everyone can make use of it. Imagine the blessed rest which is the result of faith! Nevermore will the many in­spirations of the flesh cause the heart to become impure, no more to be wounded by a single fiery dart of the wicked one! These darts were the cause of many an agonizing hour, the cause of fear and darkness; but now, because of the shield of faith, not one of them will ever be able to penetrate it and cause us harm.

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come be­fore it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it. By the way he came, by the same shall he return; and he shall not come into this city,’ says the Lord.” 2 Kings 19:32-33. It was not easy to draw comfort from this word of the Lord. The king of Assyria had a large army, and to believe that he would not even shoot an arrow into the city, this was certainly not an easy thing to do. But faith stood the test, and God did not fail. The very same night the angel of the Lord went out and slew one hundred and eighty five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. This is how God can annihilate our enemies. All things are possible for God even if it appears ever so impossible to us. The promise is: You shall quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

A tried faith is precious before God. In order to lay hold of it we need to rely entirely on Him, as all the heroes of faith have done. King Hezekiah brought the matter before the Lord’s face, and his prayer was heard: not a single arrow was shot into the city. If we can lift up the shield of faith in all circumstances, not a single one of the wicked one’s fiery darts will be able to hurt us.

The shield of faith has been given to us by God. Let us therefore receive it and use it. Let us always carry it by our side so we can be the heroes of faith which God has called us to be.