My shepherd will defend me

My Shepherd will defend me.

There are nights I feel like prey, cornered by shadows I cannot name, hounded by accusations that were never true, hunted by battles I never chose to fight. The wolves linger at the edge of my soul’s trembling, and every breath feels like a prayer caught in my throat.

But even here, in the thicket of fear and the bruise of betrayal, I remember:

I have a Shepherd.

Not a distant overseer.

Not a passive observer.

But a defender.

A Shepherd who does not flinch at the growl of darkness.

A Shepherd who draws His rod with holy fire and steps between me and every enemy that ever thought I was unguarded.

He does not wait for permission to rescue me.

He does not negotiate with what wants to destroy me.

He stands before me as if I am treasure worth bleeding for.

So even when I am too weak to lift my own voice, I rest in this defiant, unsinkable truth:

My Shepherd will defend me.

He will not let the arrows touch what His hand has sealed.

He will not let the liar write the end of my story.

He will not be late.

He will not be indifferent.

He will not abandon His own.

I am protected even when I feel exposed.

I am covered even when I feel forgotten.

I am fought for, fiercely, even when the battlefield seems silent.

Let the fear snarl. Let the night press in.

My Shepherd is near.

And if He is near,

I am not a victim.

I am not unguarded.

I am not forsaken.

I am beloved,

And the One who loves me will defend me.