A SOVEREIGN PROTECTOR I HAVE[1]
We never know so much of heaven in our own souls, nor stand so high upon the mount of communion with God, as when his Spirit, breathing on our hearts, makes us lie low at the footstool of sovereign grace and inspires us with this cry: “O God, be mine the comfort of salvation, but thine be the entire praise of it” (Augustus Toplady).[2]
A sovereign Protector I have,
Unseen, yet forever at hand,
Unchangeably faithful to save,
Almighty to rule and command.
He smiles, and my comforts abound;
His grace as the dew shall descend;
And walls of salvation surround
The soul he delights to defend.
Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever. [3]
Inspirer of hearer of prayer,
Thou Shepherd and Guardian of thine,
My all to thy covenant care
I sleeping and waking resign.
If thou art my Shield and my Sun,
The night is no darkness to me;
And fast as my moments roll on,
They bring me but nearer to thee.
In the midst of the valley, he perceived the mouth of hell was close by the wayside. There were flames and smoke, so Pilgrim called on the weapon of prayer. Christian cried out, “O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.” He went on, still the flames reaching towards him, and dreadful voices coming and going; he thought of going back but resolved to go on. The voices of fiends seemed to come nearer and when they were almost upon him, he cried out, “I will walk in the strength of the Lord God;” so they fell back. When he had traveled in this disconsolate condition for some time, he thought he heard the voice of a man saying, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”[4]
Kind Author and ground of my hope,
Thee, thee, for my God I avow;
My glad Ebenezer set up,
And own thou hast helped me till now.
I muse on the years that are past
Wherein my defense thou hast proved;
Nor wilt thou relinquish at last
A sinner so signally loved!
Eternal and everlasting Father, Fountain of all joy; we render Thee praises and thanks that You have made known to us our Shepherd and Defender Who will deliver us from the power of our adversaries. Grant unto us, that we, casting away all fear and terror of death, may embrace and confess Thy truth, which it has pleased Thee to reveal to us by Thy Son, our Lord and sovereign Master, Christ Jesus. Amen.[5]
A Sovereign Protector I Have
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Words: Augustus Toplady, 1768 / Music: David Emlyn Evans, 1890
[2] The Sing! Hymnal, p. 913.
[3] Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Ps 23:1–6.
[4] John Bunyan, “The Pilgrims Progress.” Found in Psalms of Grace, Psalm 23, The Master’s Seminary Publishing.
[5] Prayer based on Psalm 23, Psalms of Grace, The Master’s Seminary Publishing.
