Put on the whole armor of God ... Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith ... take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6: 11-17)
When I was home one summer with my parents in South Carolina from seminary, my father asked me to help him with a children's sermon. It was this reading. He had made home-made "armor of God" and I got to be his model.
It was a really cool I must say. Actually putting on this "armor" was a visceral experience that cemented what being "protected" by the powers of God can mean.
Of them all, I loved the shoes the best. On one my dad had written "gospel" and on the other he had written "peace". It reminded me that the journey of faith is one that we proverbially walk. And as we do, we can have moments of struggle and pain. Perhaps in those moments we will look down, sad and depressed perhaps. And there we will see our shoes ... shoes that remind us that the message of Jesus Chris is "good news" and will bring "peace".
This promise allows us to live through our difficult times into the promised presence of the God who will arm us with His truth, His righteousness, faith, salvation, the Word, all through the ever-present gift of the Spirit. Graciously, this is enough. In fact, this is more than enough for our trials and pains.
Protector God, may your armor fit our hearts and lives fully and completely. Amen.
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