When I was in Siberia, my friend Igor and I stopped at a store. Just outside the door a large, mean-looking dog snarled at us and would not let us inside. After a while the store owner came out, and to my surprise he shot the dog. So Igor and I went in.

A few minutes later, four angry Russians burst into the building, looking for the man who had killed their dog. One slapped Igor in the face, and another slammed me against a wall. When they saw that neither of us had a rifle, they left. But they returned almost immediately. After more heated conversation, they left again. Only then did I realize that Igor had positioned himself between me and the half-drunken men. They would have had to fight Igor to get to me—and he is one strong man!

What Igor did for me illustrates what God does for His people. King David’s foes were aligned against him, led by his son Absalom. Yet David saw God as his shield (Psalm 3:3). This truth reflected David’s own relationship to his people. They saw the king as their shield, their protector against the enemy. Now the king saw the Almighty as his protector.

Whoever may rise up against us—man or spiritual foe—will find our God between us and him. We can trust the Lord to shield us from our foes.