Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Galatians 6:10-12 NLT)
In her book “A Swiftly Tilting Planet,” Madeleine L’Engle adapted an 8th century Irish rune (poem) and uses it to tie the chapters together. As the rune is spoken, it brings supernatural protection to the characters in the story.
“At Tara in this fateful hour,
I place all Heaven with its power.
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness;
All these I place,
By God’s almighty help and grace,
Between myself and the powers of darkness.”
Imagine this: all the forces of nature—sun, snow, fire, lightning, wind, water, rock, and earth—standing between you and evil. What an incredible line of defense that would be! But in reality, we already have something even greater. The Apostle Paul calls it the “armor of God.” Instead of creation shielding us, we have the Creator himself as our protector.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV)
Just like the characters in L’Engle’s stories have adventures, sometimes facing deadly circumstances and foes, our lives can have physically or spiritually dangerous situations, too. This why God through Paul warns us to use the protection he gives us so that we can “stand firm” against the attacks of the enemy.
Today, let us trust God for our protection.
El Elyon, God Most High,
Thank you, Lord, that whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Thank you for the many ways you protect us from evil, and for providing us with spiritual armor to face life’s dangers. Today, we intentionally put on each piece of your armor:
- We put on the helmet of salvation, asking you to protect our minds from fear, insecurity, and lies.
- We fasten the breastplate of righteousness, asking you to guard our hearts and core identity from guilt, shame, and moral compromise.
- We buckle the belt of truth, asking for discernment so we can recognize and live in integrity, honesty, and truth—and guard against deception.
- We lace up the shoes of peace, asking for stability, readiness, and inner calm—especially as we share the Good News with those around us.
- We take up the shield of faith, our defense against doubt, fear, lies, and temptation. We trust that this shield will extinguish every attack, accusation, and shadow of despair from the enemy.
- We draw the sword of the Spirit—the Word of God—asking you to help us speak and stand on your truth when facing lies, temptation, or darkness.
You are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble—our fortress and defender. Protect us, we pray, in the strong name of Jesus. AMEN.
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High (El Elyon) will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1 NIV)
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:1, 7 NIV)