Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Proverbs 30:5

Every word of the Lord our God proves true. Every phrase. Every promise.  very declaration. This is the confidence that our hearts can rest in: His words are true and will come to fruition.  The Psalmist’s verses, the prophet’s declarations, and the epistle’s exhortations are all true. Each word holds a degree of infallible certainty so great that we cannot even begin to comprehend it.

Our hearts can hold the greatest assurance that the God who paints the skies and colors our lives with vibrant strokes of joy and deep hues peace is true (Ps 19:1). We can also be sure that what He says of us is indeed true. This Proverb invites us to individually and collectively search the Scriptures and come to know these truths of His character and our identity. As we journey through the Word, our hearts are drawn to His in even greater depth of intimacy, and our communities become stronger and brighter representations of the Kingdom (Ps 42:7). Growing in intimacy with the Lord and community with each other means searching the Scriptures, knowing that they are truth (2 Pet 3:18).

Extending beyond ushering our hearts into greater knowledge of the Lord and who we are to Him, this passage also gives us great comfort: He is our shield. Yes, the God of the Ages, Yahweh, the Creator of the Universe is our shield.  He will never forget us nor abandon us (Isa 49:15). Rather, he is our very present help, attentive to our every cry and need. He rides for victoriously and majestically on our behalf (Ps 45:3-4). He goes before us, making a way through the difficult and seemingly impossible (Ps 139:5). And through it all, He tends so carefully to our hearts, for He is and always will be our Shepherd (Ps 23). His Father’s heart beats steadily with the supreme focus of keeping his children safe and near him. Under his wing, nothing can harm us; no scheme can hurt us (Isa 54:17). Our hearts are secure in the embrace of Love itself, though the battle may rage all around us.

And it is in these moments, as we pass through the valley of the Shadow, that we need to remind of the truth of His words. We need to be reminded of who He is and Who he says we are to Him, so that we will remember that it is only a shadow, and that truth and love will prevail. His words are true and He is our shield. It is from this reality that we must live.