We live in a dangerous world. And we may not be aware of the degree of danger in which we find ourselves. For, the Bible tells us, the worst dangers we face exist in the unseen realm. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).
We fight in a battle, one that has been raging since time began (Genesis 3:1). The enemy is stronger than us—the spiritual forces of darkness carry power that far outweighs our own.
Yet, the Bible tells us that Jesus secured a decisive victory against sin, death, and all the powers of darkness through his death and resurrection (Colossians 2:15). The war is won, though our spiritual battle rages on.
You Are Safe with Jesus
Anyone who has bowed the knee to King Jesus is on the winning team in this great conflict. If you have turned to Jesus in faith, turning away from your rebellion, accepting his gift of forgiveness and grace, then you have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). You now belong to the kingdom of light, because Jesus Christ has fought for you on the cross and claimed you as his own when he rose from the dead.
(To learn more about this good news—who Jesus is and what he has done for you, check out our page, What Is the Gospel?)
But, as previously mentioned, the battle persists. Although we are eternally safe with Jesus, we face immediate and invisible dangers. The world, our own sinful nature, and the devil threaten to diminish or destroy our faith in God, to steal our joy, and to keep us from walking in the good works God has for us. So how can we stand against these schemes of the enemy?
But You Need a Shield for Battle
God has not left us to fight on our own. God has not left us as helpless prey to the enemy. He has given us many resources to use in the fight—weapons of warfare (Ephesians 6:10–20; 2 Corinthians 10:4). The more you read the Bible and learn about the battle equipment God has given us, the more you will realize that he has promised us his protection and personal presence.
One of God’s especially precious promises to us in our warfare is that he will be our shield.
God’s Word promises us “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed” (Isaiah 54:17 ESV)? How can this be? Well, because God himself stands between you and the enemy. He will do this in diverse manners and through many means—a friend, a song, a book, a word of Scripture, an orchestration of events, a cancelled event—and in many ways that you will not recognize. But if you belong to Jesus Christ, this is God’s promise to you: I am your shield.
The Bible Tells Us That God Is Our Shield
Don’t take our word for it—see that God promises to be your shield all throughout his Word.
As you read the following Scriptures, pray that God’s Holy Spirit would strengthen and encourage you. But also make use of the shield you have! If God is your shield, you will want to make use of his defense! May the following Scriptures lead you not just to cherish God’s defense but depend on it.
This objective reality is a comfort—God is your shield always. He has promised this service to you and performs it. But God also tell us to “take up the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16 ESV) and is honored when we seek him in our battle, asking him to fulfill his promise.
Perhaps today you are aware of the unseen combat. Perhaps you are overwhelmed by the fray and cowering under the spray of enemy fire. May the truth of God’s Word in these verses that say God is our shield wash over you and administer strong comfort to your heart. May they move you to take refuge in God, our shield.
At the end of the list are a few reflection questions to help you carry what you read here throughout your day and ponder it:
Bible Verses That Say God Is Our Shield
1. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” (Genesis 15:1 ESV)
2. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs. (Deuteronomy 33:29 ESV)
3. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 18:30 ESV)
4. 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18 are nearly identical. God put this precious psalm about how he delivers his servants in the battle twice! This must mean it’s important.
Listen to Shield for Me by Scripture Lullabies
5. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12 ESV)
Read a devotional on this verse: What God Gives You As a Shield for Battle
6. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. (Psalm 28:7 ESV)
7. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2 ESV)
8. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20 ESV)
9. O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! (Psalm 59:9–11 ESV)
10. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. (Psalm 84:11–12 NLT)
Read a Devotional on this verse: The Lord Will Withhold No Good Thing
11. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. (Psalm 115:2–11 ESV)
12. Arise, O Lord, in anger! Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice! Gather the nations before you. Rule over them from on high. The Lord judges the nations. Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High! End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God. God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:6–11 NLT)
Psalm 7 is the prayer of a faithful believer who has a clean conscience, and it seems that his enemies are persecuting him and accusing him of wrong. He asks God to search his heart, open to repent wherever he may be blind to his sin, but he ultimately takes refuge in God as his shield against those who would falsely accuse him. God being a shield in this passage is tied to God’s justice.
13. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God. (Psalm 119:114–115 ESV)
14. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. (Psalm 144:1–2 ESV)
15. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. (Proverbs 2:6–8 ESV)
16. Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5 ESV)
Reflection Questions
- Is there a circumstance in your life right now where you feel that you need protection?
- How does it comfort you to know that God is our shield?
- What would it look like to trust God to be your shield today?
- What else did you learn about God by thinking through these verses?
- Two of the verses at least say that God is a shield “to those who take refuge in him.” We who believe in Jesus have taken refuge in God in an ultimate sense, but what might it look like for you today to take refuge in God?