You ready?

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Have you ever needed to take refuge in the midst of a storm? How about in the midst of a huge battle? Growing up in Arizona, monsoon season hits each summer, bringing these huge winds, walls of dust for miles and miles, and some pretty terrifying thunder and lightning to boot. As a wee lass, I would feel the winds picking up, but I would play on because nothing could distract me from my play. Then all of a sudden, the skies would rumble and roar, and that peace I had felt was no more! I'd call out for mom, run quickly to the fence line between my friend's home and ours, standing there waiting. Waiting for what? For those 'rescuing arms' of mom's that would reach over that fence to lift me to safety. As soon as she had me safely over the fence, all was well, for I knew I was going to be 'sheltered' from the worst of the storm and safe in her care.

I wonder how many times we find ourselves in the midst of the winds, sensing that things are about to change big time, but still finding ourselves content to just remain where we are, going about whatever holds our interest so dearly, until something 'bigger' awakens us to the imminent danger approaching. In instant things change, going from okay to freaky in the blink of an eye. What only gave us mild 'concern' is now a full-fledged storm, and we are right there in the midst of it all. We can be 'undone' by the storms of life or the battles that rage around us, can't we? In those moments where we find ourselves in need of a refuge, do we call out? Do we move away from what has distracted us up to that point and move toward who it is we will find our safety within? God's arms are stronger than mom's ever were, but we might just have to reach out for them if we want to experience that refuge.

Two things we need to keep in mind. First, we have to leave whatever it is that has us distracted in the midst of the storm or battle. We must put ourselves in a state of mind that is aware of the dangers approaching. That could very well mean we have to stop, get focused, and then respond to whatever the dangers are that are fast approaching. Second, we have to put ourselves in a position to be 'helped' in the midst of the mess we are in. I moved away from the pile of cars and twigs toward the fence, but that wasn't the only move I made. I would stand there with my arms outstretched in anticipation of mom's arms coming to my rescue. We might call out, but do we always move away from the distractions and toward the one who wants to be our refuge? We might call out, get a little nearer to his help, but are we ready to find refuge - reaching out to take hold of what God has prepared for us? Just askin!

A hard nut to crack...

Take no notice of his looks or his height. He is not the one, for the Eternal One does not pay attention to what humans value. Humans only care about the external appearance, but the Eternal considers the inner character. (I Samuel 16:7 VOICE)

Quite a few years ago I wrote about one of my favorite songs, "The Warrior is a Child", by Twila Paris.  The song was written not so much because Paris had life all figured out, but because she struggled to figure out life!  Doesn't that sound a great deal like what most of us face each and everyday in our daily walk?  We don't so much struggle with the good stuff, at least not on the surface, but it may very well be the "good stuff" which becomes the tripping point in our lives.  The things which seem to make us "look" like we have life by the tail may not always be the reality of what is going on inside our minds, hearts, and spirits. Sometimes fame, fortune, and good things become the battleground for our pride, skirmishes for control and trust being an everyday occurrence for us.

Paris rose to a place of fame rather quickly as a young adult in the music industry - giving ample opportunity for fame and fortune to go to her head, begin affecting her heart, and creating chaos galore on the inside even though the outside looked pretty "put together".  As she will so willingly admit, she wrote the song lyrics not really knowing fully their meaning, but somehow knowing they were significant.  The part which has always stuck with me through the nearly 20+ years since first hearing this song is the chorus:

    They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
    They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
    I drop my sword and cry for just a while
    'Cause deep inside this armor the warrior is a child

Deep inside this armor the warrior is a child...these words speak so much truth, for none of us is really able to view the truth about a person's character just from what we see on the surface.  It takes a removing of the layers, a laying bare of the soul, and a vulnerability of heart to really get to know one another.  The song begins with the words, "Lately, I've been winning battles left and right; But even winners can get wounded in the fight.  People say that I'm amazing strong beyond my years; But they don't see inside of me, I'm hiding all the tears."  To see the tears, one must see the heart.

Most people don't look at me and say, "She's kind of mushy on the inside", or even that I wear my emotions on my shirt sleeves.  In fact, most tell me I seem like I usually have it "all together" and that I can even be a little bit of a "hard nut to crack".  Truth is, I fall down just like the rest of you.  I find myself "running home" when I fall down.  As a small child, whenever thunderstorms came in with all the bluster and frenzied winds the summer storms can bring, I'd freak out.  Those loud claps of thunder just scared me to pieces.  Nothing came as more reassuring than seeing my mother's arms extend over the back fence into the neighbor's yard where I was playing, aptly reaching mine and then pulling me straight up into her waiting arms, only to whisk me away into the safety of our home.  What I needed was reassurance all was going to be well - what mom knew I needed was an embrace and the shelter of home.  In Paris' words:

    Unafraid because His armor is the best
    But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
    People say that I'm amazing never face retreat
    But they don't see the enemies that lay me at His feet

God isn't much different from mom - he knows we need the reassurance of his embrace and the protection we find deep inside the shelter of his presence.  I don't know what enemies lay you at his feet, but I know the ones who lay me there.  When life's battles seem to come close to getting the "best of us", let's not forget that we ALL want to run for shelter when the battle gets a little too tough to fight on our own.  Those with the greatest "internal strength" are those who run frequently right smack-dab into the arms of Jesus!  Just sayin!

The hill you die on

³ It's a mark of good character to avert quarrels,
   but fools love to pick fights. 

(Proverbs 20:3)

Ever run across an individual that just seems contrary in all they do?  There is just no pleasing them - they find fault with everything and love to quarrel over the silliest of things.  There is a word for these type of individuals - fools!  Solomon makes it quite plain that a fool loves to pick a fight.  It is a mark of honor (of good character) to avoid a fight.  I am not implying that we actually live in a state of existence where we go through life without ever saying a cross word or entering into constructive debate periodically.  Yet, a man or woman of good character knows that insisting on a quarrel is not a sign of wisdom.

It is a good thing to overlook the small things in life.  There is a saying I heard some time ago that has stuck with me:  "Is this the hill you want to die on?"  In other words, is this the "battle" of the will or mind that you want to engage in?  "Small things" lead to the bigger battles when we allow ourselves to dwell upon them.  Angry outbursts and quarrels are a result of not overlooking an offense.  God honors the one who is able to turn away from fighting and to be a peacemaker.

Look at this passage again - it is not that we don't have the opportunity to quarrel, it is that we "avert" that opportunity.  This word carries both the idea of turning away before you enter into the quarrel and to prevent it before it has an opportunity to begin.  This is more than the "counting to ten" thing that some may engage in (not to say that this is bad) - it is the attitude of mind and heart that shows how much you value the other individual.  When we "turn away" or "turn aside" from a quarrel, we are choosing to honor God by not engaging in actions or the sharing of words that will not represent God well.

When we prevent a quarrel, we actually doing what God calls being a peacemaker.  A peacemaker is an intermediary - one who is able to see both sides of the coin.  There is an ability to not judge a situation by face value, but to see that there are always two sides to how a situation can be interpreted (each being valid in the other person's eyes).  

Today, we have a choice - it is to choose wisely the hills that we are willing to die on.  Quarrelsome behavior will soon wear us down, wear upon our relationships, and make us devoid of those strong supports we need in life.  Choose wisely - it is better to be numbered with the wise than with the fools!

Invitation to be "bully-free"

^5-6 It's better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day.
Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win, you need a lot of good counsel.

(Proverbs 24:5-6)

Strength is often admired in another.  We look at someone who appears to have life all together and we stand in awe.  Deep inside, we are thinking, "I wish I could be like them" - all the while considering just how we'd respond to the events the other person is standing so strong through.  Why do we compare ourselves with others like that?  It is so self-defeating!

Our passage today focuses on our development of wisdom, not just the "stamina" to make it through stuff in life.  It is much different to understand the events of the day than it is to just be able to "get through" them!  Our focus is so often on the outward - what we see MUST be reality, right?  The truth is that what we SEE is often what somebody wants to PORTRAY.  It may be a far cry from the reality of what is going on in that individual's heart, mind, or emotions.  It is a FRONT.

Let's divide this passage into parts:

1. Wisdom outweighs brute or brawn.  As a kid who got picked on a lot on the playground, I associate with this!  There were a lot of girls "bigger" than me that could get me out of those swings faster than butter melts on a hot sidewalk in summer.  It took me a while to realize that if the teacher could "catch on" to what was happening, she'd intervene (wisdom).  I did not need to "tattle" on them, but I could simply stand, looking longingly at those swings long enough and she'd see I wasn't playing.  Before long, she would ask the "bigger girls" to give us smaller ones a chance to swing before the bell rang.  Victory!  Wisdom is applied knowledge - it is the engrafting of what we have learned into the very actions of our being.  We admire the brawn, but it is the wisdom that has the biggest reward.
2. To win in warfare, you need wise counsel.  I admire people who seem to have their lives in order - living according to a plan and planning every step of how they live.  But...they seldom do well when the "plan" gets disturbed.  In fact, they cannot function!  Life is a battle - it needs strategic planning, but even the best laid plans of man can be smashed to pieces in a moment.  Wise counsel is invaluable when the battle "heats up" - when the "plans" seem to be coming unraveled at the seams.  Our enemy has a strategy - we need one, too.  His strategy is to catch us "off-guard".  Ours should be to have our eye on Christ.

Good counsel is found in the knowledge that comes from the Word of God, the leading imparted by the Holy Spirit in the moment of decision, and in the keeping of friends who are well-grounded in the Word of God.  The battle is won in the company we keep, the knowledge we seek, and the object of our affections!  

Our invitation today is to stop admiring the bullies!  Their strength is a facade!  Their life is really not that "all together" as it appears on the surface.  The strength we need to stand in the heat of the battle comes in the quiet moments of the fellowship we keep with a holy God.  It is found in relating well, and often, with God.  Getting to know him, how he works, and what he values is what gives us the ability to stand strong when faced with the battles of our lives.  Why not change your focus today - moving from looking up to the one who "appears" strong to the one who actually IS strength!

Come into victory

²⁴ When they had them all there in front of Joshua, he called up the army and told the field commanders who had been with him, "Come here. Put your feet on the necks of these kings."  They stepped up and put their feet on their necks.
 ²⁵ Joshua told them, "Don't hold back. Don't be timid. Be strong! Be confident! This is what God will do to all your enemies when you fight them."
(Joshua 10:24-25)

Joshua was going up against one army after another as Israel is coming into possession of their promised land - Canaan.  One of the tribes of Israel, Gibeon, was in serious trouble with enemy kings surrounding them.  Not just one army attacking, but five Amorite kings had mustered their military might and had surrounded Gibeon!  Ever feel like Gibeon?  Surrounded on all sides and ready to send up the white flag?  

The men of Gibeon send word to Joshua that they are surrounded and require his immediate intervention.  Joshua had been one of the twelve spies Moses sent into Canaan to spy out the land prior to their entering.  Only Joshua and Caleb came back with any belief that Israel could take the land.  When Moses died, Joshua became their leader.  Under Joshua's godly leadership, Israel entered Canaan to take it as its own.  Now, he is called upon to assist Gibeon.

He had been camped at Gilgal with his army.  They had to march all night to reach Gibeon.  As they approached Gibeon, scripture tells us that God threw all the military of these five opposing kings into immediate panic and confusion.  They five armies scattered to the hills and valleys - running in panic.  This military battle is probably best known for the prayer of Joshua - asking God to stop the sun and moon - giving him more time to attack until every last one was rounded up.  

The five kings were not too eager to lose their lives, so they hid in a cave.  When Joshua and his men had finished the work of taking the five armies, they came back to the cave and took the kings.  This brings us to the passage we examine today.  They are brought before the people of Israel, the military field leaders of Israel's army are instructed to come forward and place their feet on the necks of these five kings.  A strange thing to ask, huh?  Not really.

Joshua was giving Israel a visual display of the might of their God.  He was showing them that God had delivered these kings and their military might into their hands.  Now they were victorious over even the strongest of the military in the land.  The foot on the neck is a symbol of victory - it is a sign of submission by those that are held in such a manner.  A humbling experience for these kings of the Amorites indeed.  

What can we learn from this passage?  First, nothing can stand against the people of God.  God is supreme and when he is raised up in the lives of his people, he will go before them.  Second, when we have the faith to believe the impossible, God has the wherewithal to do the impossible.  I have never asked the sun or moon to stand still, but I have asked God to heal cancer, restore lost children, and release me from guilt.  In each prayer, he has been faithful.  Last, but certainly not least, victory belongs to God.  As his children, it belongs to us, too.  He invites us forward, just as Joshua invited the military field commanders to come, in order that we might place our foot on the neck of our greatest enemies.

Our enemies come in many forms - that favorite sin that drags us down, the long-held shame of past failures, the present compromise of misplaced affections.  Regardless of the form, God is victor over all.  If we are "in Christ" and Christ is "in us", then we are victors over all, as well.  Today's invitation is to come into victory.  Ask God for what seems impossible.  Place your heel upon the neck of your enemy today.  Your victory awaits.

The key is in the control

¹³ Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you're never going to see them again.   ¹⁴ God will fight the battle for you.
      And you? You keep your mouths shut!"

(Exodus 14:13-14)

Battles come our way - not those fought on enemy soil with automatic weapons, tanks, and grenades - but those things that give us "fits" internally (emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes even physically).  We struggle with the outcome because we try to remain in control of the situation instead of turning it over to God.  The battle becomes a burden we "slug" through rather than having the unlimited resources of heaven at our disposal.

Moses was given a direct message from God to tell the people - the battle lies ahead - here's what you should do in the midst of the battle!  Most of us don't get some messenger of God sent into our lives, armed with the message to stand firm in the midst of the fight.  At least, not one that we recognize as a messenger!  The message God gives him to bring tell us a great deal about how it is we are to face the battle.  Let's look:

• Don't be afraid - the idea is that we are not to be filled with fear or apprehension.  Our conception of the situation (perception) produces fear or trust.  Another word for these conceptions is suspicions - we develop various suspicions about the reason for the battle, the outcome, etc.  Anticipation and awareness of danger both produce fear and anxiety.  Paul tells us in Philippians:  Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. (Phil. 4:6)  There is a time in the battle when we have to "reign it all in" and lay it all out before God.  In so doing, we begin to be in a place to see clearly what it is that is before us.  Our suspicions are addressed.
• Stand firm - maintain your position, hold your course, and remain firm.  To maintain your position is to hold the position of a witness - be alert, be attentive, be accurate.  Weakness and uncertainty do not play a part in being a witness in the courtroom of life.  The witness is to give a testimony that is free of revision or change.  God is asking us to be well-founded in our beliefs and values.  Steadfastness is really what is pictured here.
• Watch for the deliverance - it is inevitable when the battle is in his hands.  We may lose it in our own ability, but in his hands, the deliverance is sure to come.  When we actually see something, we are recognizing it and placing that into actual experience.  In other words, stand firm, without fear, and God will be on the scene to bring the deliverance (making it a reality).  Deliverance is liberty - it is rescue, or being set free.  The promised, desired, and expected results will be -produced - when we stand firm, fear under control.
• You will never see that enemy again - Moses was speaking to Israel about the Egyptians.  They were an enemy that could have slaughtered them, bringing an end to their existence.  Yet, he says with total assurance, that they would never see them again.  What is pictured is the idea of total deliverance from the bondage of a task-master that is demanding, unyielding, and controlling.  Kind of like the image we have of sin's control in our lives, huh?  God is the one that will cause it to be that we move from a place of total bondage into total freedom - never to be under that condition of bondage again.  
• Keep your mouth shut - this is not easy in the midst of the battle.  Instead of being still, at peace, and in control of our emotions, we are a miserable wreck!  It is not easy being in a place where we stand with an assurance that the end of our bondage seems to be impossible and then to stand settled, calm and in a place of peace.  Yet it is the very thing that God expects of us in the midst of the battle.  When trust is placed in the right (true and accurate) place, the battle is assured.

To that, I can only add some words from David:  Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:10-11)  See the emphatic statement here:  I WILL BE EXALTED!  God is not a mamby-pamby kind of God - he is supreme, sovereign (so over) any other force on this earth, in your life, or in mine.  He WILL be exalted - stand firm, be assured, and be still.  He is in control!

God's Dependable Love

^16-17 And me? I'm singing your prowess, shouting at cockcrow your largesse,
   For you've been a safe place for me, a good place to hide.  Strong God, I'm watching you do it, I can always count on you—God, my dependable love.

(Psalm 59:16-17)

Understanding the background of this Psalm might help us understand these words even more clearly.  David, as King of Israel, was in heated battle with the Edomites in the Valley of Salt.  The Edomites were descendants of Esau, one of the sons of Jacob.  Esau is probably best known as the son who sold his birthright for a pot of stew (Genesis 25).  As the firstborn of Jacob, he had the full right to the inheritance of his father (a double portion).  In a time of weakness, hungry and weary, he "sold out" to his twin brother.  

Esau's family became a band of nomadic raiders settling in the region just south of the Dead Sea - the land that Israel would realistically pass through on their way to Canaan as they existed Egypt.  Edom is recorded in Scripture as the people that would not allow the passage of Israel through their land, causing them to detour around Edom on their journey.  King Saul mounted a huge attack against Edom during his reign and 40 years later, King David, along with Joab, his General of the Armies, destroys 10,000 of the military men of Edom.  

This huge battle is what is celebrated in this Psalm.  David cries out:  I am singing of your prowess, shouting of your largesse!  He is overcome with the protection of his God and the safety he has enjoyed in the battle - a battle that could have easily overrun his troops and caused huge casualties to his kingdom.  

To David, God has been a safe place to hide - a good place for him to find refuge.  Some might think that David is a little cowardly by these words, but in fact, these are words that describe the condition of his heart.  He faced his fears in the midst of battles that seemed insurmountable by placing them in the hands of his great God.  When David brings his fears to God, he stands back and watches as God repeatedly intervenes in ways that would have been impossible through natural skill or military might.

I know that we probably don't face huge armies today, wielding all kinds of weaponry, preparing to charge at us with all their military might (although some reading this might be in service to our country, facing just this type of an enemy).  We DO face "armies" of forces just waiting to see our destruction.  Those forces are the armies doubt, bitterness, deception, lust, pride, etc.  Enemies that stand against us, filling us with fear and unbelief.  To us, they seem insurmountable.  To God, they are grains of sand - irritating, but totally removable!

Maybe you find yourself in the place today where you could say, "I have been trying to do this all on my own, God!  I have been trying to figure a way out of this bondage, but am just not getting it!"  If that is the case, you have an opportunity today to take your inabilities to God - then stand back and watch what he does with the heart that yields to his plans.  Most of the battle is not in the "sin", but in the laying down of our will.  When we finally lay down our will, step back and begin to watch, God begins to move.

I am praying for you today - to be able to lay down what you have been holding onto so tightly; to be able to take a step back; and to have your eyes opened to how God will move once you do.  As your eyes are opened to God's graces refilling you with his peace, setting you free from your resentments, taking you to new heights in his love, I am confident you will sing out with David:  I am singing of your prowess; I can always count on you, my God!