He Protects His Own

“God choreographs the “molecular dance” which goes on every second of every minute of every day in every cell of the universe…He is not too busy to keep records even of our falling hair. Yet in our darkness we suppose He has overlooked us. He hasn’t.”
Elisabeth Elliot

Text to read: Joshua 10:1-27
God had been the commander in chief for Joshua’s army for quite some time. Apparently they were doing pretty good and had no inclination to slow down or take a breath. They were on fire! That’s why I’m a bit baffled at the audacity of those five kings. Really? They honestly thought they could somehow attack God’s anointed and win? Wow. Not only did God show up and show them who’s boss, he did it in such a powerful way that Joshua really didn’t have to put up much of his own fight. A good fashioned hailstorm took care of that problem. Nobody had to question who was in charge of that battle. God’s name was stamped all over it.

Particularly fascinating was how the whole thing ended. The kings had apparently figured out that they were bested. Instead of surrendering, they went and hid in a cave. Just like it happens with every cowardly bully on the block, someone had enough guts to stand up to them. Joshua showed up, strung those idiots on a tree and then stuffed them back into the very cave they came from. With a stamp of righteous indignation, the command was brought forth. “Leave these spineless fools here and let us go!”

This whole story shows me a bit about the dynamics of spiritual bullying. First off, if you’re the one dealing with a bully here’s some things to remember.

Don’t be afraid. Just because you seem to be under attack, remember that God has your back and He will fight for you. Oftentimes ice is quite literally involved.

Don’t be too timid to stand up for yourself. You have a right to be bold. In verse 24 Joshua commanded his army to put their feet on the necks of the kings. In other words, “these guys are literally under your feet so put them there!” Look what it says here in Luke 10:19
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Remember that the Lord is fighting for you. You don’t have to do or say anything. When Joshua had heard that the kings hid themselves in a cave, he didn’t waste any time. He had his army roll a large stone in front of it so that the attackers could not escape. It’s a clear message to be bold, leave the situation in God’s hands (roll that stone in front of your cave and wait) and commit to following him no matter what assails you.

If you know someone who is practicing aggressive behavior toward a brother or sister in Christ, here is some advice to pass on…

It is not wise to attack a child of God. Like a very protective parent, God takes threats and bullying very seriously. He will make it abundantly clear which side he is on. Hiding from him is also a bad idea. Not only will the attacker be found, evidence suggests that the outcome isn’t a good one. God will find a way to close the entrance to the cave and there will be no escape from punishment. At the very least, the bully will find himself in the same spot he was in when he started.

I am reminded of a situation I found myself in not too long ago. I was attacked by a bully and God showed up and knocked his block off. Guess what was the most ironic thing about it all? There was ice involved.

God protects his children, he fights for them, and yes he does win. Be bold, be strong, and believe that he’s got your back.

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Worthy of His Work

Have you ever had one of those weeks where things just did not go the way they were supposed to? Everything went wrong. The car died. The kids drove your insanity level to new heights, and at every challenge, you failed the test. Instead of responding in kindness, you snapped. Instead of trying to teach obedience, you yelled. Instead of trusting God, you worried. That was me last week. If I had been accused of being a Christian, a conviction would be unheard of. The jury would have thrown my case out. I would have been labeled a nut-case but nothing more. By the end of the week I was exhausted, defeated, and bordering on depressed. I felt like a complete failure and not worthy of the speck of sand on my Father’s shoes.

That’s why I found my devotional from Beth Moore so refreshing and timely this morning. Beth has coined a phrase that I’m going to adopt. She says that when she dies, she wants her tombstone to read, “God got tired.” Thank you so much, Beth. I’m glad to see that I am not the only person on earth who is high maintenance. If Beth Moore struggles, that means there’s hope for me. As it turns out, there’s more than hope. There are unfathomable promises for me any time I start to wonder or worry if I’m going to make it.

I shared my sentiments on the last few days with my pastor’s wife. Here’s what she had to say…

“You need to remember that there is a big difference between conviction and the enemy making you feel defeated. The Holy Spirit convicts and the enemy will sometimes try to mess around with us to make us feel defeated and hopeless. In Christ, you are an overcomer and yes there is always hope for us all thanks to His grace and mercy…We recognize our mistakes and grow from them. That is part of the sanctification process…”

As I ruminated on what she said I began to wonder. What exactly does God say about me? Who am I, really? For anyone else who might be wondering, I’ve got just a few of the answers.

I am royalty. I am chosen, holy, and special and filled with his light. (1 Peter 2:9)
I am his adopted daughter and deeply loved. (Romans 8:17)
I am more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37)
I am a friend of Jesus. (John 15:15)
I am a new creature in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am redeemed and forgiven by the grace of Christ. (Ephesians 1:7)
I am blessed. (Ephesians 1:3)
I am God’s beautiful work of art, created to bless others with my talents and abilities. (Ephesians 2:10) *This one is my favorite!*
I am engraved on his heart and on his hands. (Isaiah 49:16)

I have also concluded that I am worthy the work that He puts into me. As much trouble as I seem to be to God, He never gets tired of molding and shaping me into the creature that He created me to be. The way I figure it, I must be pretty dang important, or He wouldn’t spend this much time perfecting me. As He reminded me this morning, what I do does not dictate who I am. I messed up. This does not make me a lost cause or an immediate defect that deserves to be tossed in the garbage. It makes me human and prone to imperfections, mistakes, and weaknesses.

There will be challenging days or weeks where we fail or miss the mark. I think we’re being called to remember that it’s not over until He says it is. Every day is a new opportunity to grow and learn from the previous day’s mistakes. Every day is a new chance to remember who we are for real in Christ. We are worthy of His time and all the endless hours of work He puts into us. In that sense, I don’t mind being high maintenance. After all, I am a work in progress!

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