“The Lord is my strength and shield. My heart trusted in Him and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song will I praise Him.” —Psalm 28:7
I was around 13 when a friend gave me one of those cards they sell at Christian book stores with your name on it, and that scripture was underneath my name ‘Jennifer’.
I remember liking the scripture immediately because it mentioned the phrase ‘my song’ in conjunction with my name. I don’t know whose job it was at this card company to assign scriptures to names, but the fact that my 13-year-old life plan was to be a great singer like my Aunt Jennifer, whom I was named after, fit perfectly.
But I was also drawn in by the Lord being my strength and my shield. Something about seeing this attached to my name felt so intimate and personal to me. He was my strength and my shield. When I look back, those little places of connection helped me internalize who God was to me and for me.
He wasn’t just the God at church—the one people sang about on the stage and preachers preached about from the pulpit. He was my song; He was my strength and shield.
Funny enough, I haven’t seen that little name card with the scripture on it in ages, but wouldn’t you know the first week in January it fell out of a box right at my feet. I picked it up and read it through, and once again, I felt the rush of strength and security that is only found in knowing He is mine and that I have a song—something of my life to worship Him with. Standing at the head of a brand new year, I can’t think of a better foundation to build on.
In whatever lies ahead and however God leads you in this new year, begin by internalizing who He is in and for you, and what you have to give in return.
It has always been a love relationship that He has been after. He desires to be so good to you that you cannot help but let that goodness overflow from you.
So here is to the cheesy little scripture name cards that simply remind us how personal God is— so much so that our names are each one written on the palm of His hands. What a thought!
Happy New Year friend.