Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. Song of Solomon 1:4
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Psalm 91:15
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham. Luke 1:71-73
Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. Judges 16:27-29He said to us that if we call on Him He will answer us. He will show us things we have not known, but we have to keep our eyes open. We have to keep our ears open to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. Sometimes God gives us direction but we choose not to listen to him. We think we know better than God about what we need. We harden our hearts to His guidance and then cry out to Him for help in our time of need. Who are we to ask God for help then ignore the answer just because it is hard?
I look at Samson. He had so much; strength, good looks, and God’s favor. Yet he gave it up because he chose to listen to his personal feelings over God’s guidance. Because of this he suffered great things. Once he realized he had been duped, he prayed for forgiveness and the Lord executed His vengeance on those who mocked Samson and Himself. God did not leave Samson helpless in the prison and the torment. He came through for him when he cried out for help.
Sometimes when God is using a situation to create a stronger bond of relationship with us or to teach us about His will in our lives, we turn a deaf ear to it. We become self-indulged and cry out for Him to fix things instead of staying in the trial He has given us. We try to get the answers to the lesson without reading the material, or staying in the learning situation. We just want it to be how we want it, and life is not like that.
Throughout the Word of God, we read of times when people had to sacrifice self for God’s purpose in their lives. Esther was willing to risk her life as queen in order to submit to God's plan to save the Jews. Ruth gave up her home and people to accept God and his people. Samuel's mother promised that if God would give her a son, she would let him be raised by the temple priest.
David ran from King Saul for years before God placed him on the throne. He had to give up his best friend to accept God’s plan for him. Think of the pain he must have gone through. Saul, whom he had thought of as near to his heart, suddenly hated him. Suddenly Saul was telling lies about him and trying to spear him! Then he set out to totally annihilate him, but God had other ideas. Though David suffered the sorrow of loss, he gained in following after God’s plan and keeping himself right with God.
So what can we learn from these people’s stories? To trust God, no matter what we are going through. To know that He is in control even if we think it is the people we are dealing with that are the problem. One more scripture, one more day, and we can get the strength to continue and grow through the heartache or the confusion that we have been placed in. Whatever it is that we are going through as children of God, we have to realize that God has a hand in it!
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:11-13Do you ever feel like you have been duped by the devil and got caught up in your own emotions over a situation? God knows. He knows you did not put on your armor before going into battle; he knows you responded in the flesh and not by His Spirit.
Our soldiers go into training before going into battles. They follow a battle plan so that they can hopefully walk away whole. Sometimes they come home with permanent battle scars that tear their lives apart. Sometimes they come home with scars that will heal. A lot of times it is all a matter of perspective. If they give it to the Lord and realize the bombs and bullets had a greater purpose, then God can do something good from it. But we need to remember, just like soldiers do, it is not about me! It is about God’s will, the greater purpose in our lives. God will work all things together for good, even the things we think are rubbish. Even when we think no one cares what we are going through, God can work it all together for good for those who are the called according to His purpose.
So let’s stop fighting the war for ourselves. Let’s get into our battle armor before going into war and get on our knees. When we kneel before the Lord, our God and maker, there is a humbleness of spirit that is not there when we stand before Him. Let’s stop wrestling against flesh and blood and get into battle position against the enemy today! When God is for us, no one and nothing can stand against us!
Dear heavenly Father, help us to put on our armor and wear it right. Direct us in what we should say and do, and help us to keep our hearts and minds right before You. Let us remember that nothing man can do to us will prosper, but You will come through for us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Suggested readings: Ephesians 6:1-24; Isaiah 12:1-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-31; Galatians 1:1-24 and Hebrews 9:1-28.