“Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword…(Deut. 33:29)”
Moses declares to Israel, as they stand before the Promised Land, that they are truly a “blessed (happy) people” because God is their shield and helper. While I profess to be a saved child of God, my honest feelings have felt so distant from this declaration. I pray and wait for the next step, yet the path ahead remains obscured by a lingering fog.
As time passes, the heavy weight of ‘survival’ and reality weighs on my heart. Questions like “Why am I still stuck here? What is wrong with me?” haunt me in a never-ending cycle. Sharing this heavy burden of waiting with my wife, I find myself unable to truly experience happiness, even while my lips speak of salvation.
However, today’s Word does not place the condition for happiness on ‘open circumstances’ or ‘visible positions.’ Israel is blessed not because they have already conquered the land, but because God—their shield and helper—is with them right now.
I choose to steady my heart once again. I believe God is rebuilding my foundation through this time of silence. I will refocus my gaze on the helping hand of God. Though the mist remains thick, I earnestly hope to find the ground for my happiness in the Lord alone. Longing for the hymn “The Lord is Enough for Me” to become my sincere confession, I will repeat this song in my heart throughout the day.