Psalm 89:1-18

89:1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

God really is faithful. Each one of us has to step out in some way, it is impossible to be human and not. Often our fear of people, what other will think, or not wanting to upset anyone will make us run, but when we show up, God is there with us. That is faithfulness. He shows up just when we need him.

Where are the heavens that he is building up his faithfulness. Is it some place we end up going after we die, or is it much closer than any of us imagine? Perhaps it is those places where his kingdom is established on this earth, in the words of Fredrick Buechner "where a little green grows", I'm not so sure. But as I read this Psalm I do think it is a place that we get to experience as well as our children. It is close and it is passed down.

Most of us would rather have a missile defense system rather than a shield. Something that allows us to sit in our homes watching Tivo as the war goes on around us while we remain unaffected. But unfortunately God has not described his protection that way. It is just a shield. We are face to face with our enemy. We see his or her eyes. The sweat, blood, tears and beer will splatter on us, and all we have is a shield to protect us. How about that for a sermon or book title; "God shield in a nuclear age." The fact is that God's shield is stronger than anything we can imagine. That doesn't mean that the battle isn't scary though.