December 23, 2009
Central Truth
God trains us in preparation for affliction, temptation, and persecution. He refines us and outfits us for the day of battle. His strength is all we need.
The Lord, my protector, deserves praise—
the one who trains my hands for battle,
and my fingers for war,
who loves me and is my stronghold,
my refuge and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I take shelter . . . .
(Psalm 144:1-2a)
1
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples
1
144:2
Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
under me.
3
O LORD, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.
5
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6
Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
7
Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
8
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9
I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10
who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11
Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12
May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13
may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14
may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
2
144:14
Hebrew with no breaking in or going out
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!
I have struggled with lifelong fears of spiritual warfare. Something I experienced as a child caused me to pray repeatedly a fervent, fearful prayer, "God, don't let me see anything. Please, don't let me see anything that is not of this world."
When I told this to my boyfriend a few months ago, he told me I was praying the wrong thing. He asked where my trust in God was in that lifelong prayer of mine. I realized that, while I know in my head that God is able to equip me, I haven't really trusted Him enough to stake my life on His protection.
I have started praying instead: "God, please prepare me for whatever lies ahead so that I may combat it in the best way, trusting in You and in Your might." My study of Ephesians 6:10-20 over the last few weeks has been enormously encouraging. Paul urges, "Clothe yourself with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11)
Each of us is a soldier in Christ's army. It is our duty to be thoroughly prepared and to trust Him completely so that we will take the right action when we are on the battlefield and not turn back like the men of Ephraim. (Psalm 78:9-11)
Fortunately, God does not expect us to prepare all on our own. His Son is "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2) He isn't finished with us when we are saved. (Philippians 1:6) Instead, salvation is just the beginning of our training and transformation to be tools for His glory. It is our job to let Him equip us with everything good for doing His will. (Hebrews 13:21)
God has a plan for me, just as He has a plan for all of us. I want to be prepared to serve His purpose, whatever that might be, and am thankful to serve a God who will always make sure I have the right tools for the job.
1. Can you ever be fully prepared for whatever worst-case scenario you may be most afraid of?
2. Which of your fears, if handed over to God, could be transformed into strengths to be used for His glory?
3. How can you keep from becoming complacent with where you are now in your spiritual walk?