But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart
shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will
sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:5,6
I
had been through basic training and I was ready for war. There had been rumors of a bloodthirsty
giant heading this way. The tales of
his brutal and cruel acts had reached far and near. We heard he left only death and destruction in his tracks. I checked to make sure everything was in
place. My belt buckled, breastplate in
place, feet shod, helmet on, sword at my side, and shield resting against me,
just waiting.
Waiting. It seems like I had spent an eternity
waiting. But today was the day. There would be no more waiting and no more
wondering. I wasn't the calm, cool,
collected; seasoned warrior like the others my Father had organized. I sat with my fingers intertwined to help me
keep from fidgeting. I could feel the
sweat gather between my cold palms and building up under my eyes. I was just waiting for orders. What was to be my part in this upcoming
battle? Remember Father, I'm still
young, immature, not very brave. But
when you have someone who believes so strongly in you, you begin to believe in
yourself, also. All of a sudden you
want to do all they say you can do and be everything they say you can be. OK, Father, I'm ready.
The
orders: "Our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms." Ephesians
6:12. "Stand your ground."
"Stand firm." "Do not be
surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange
were happening to you. But rejoice that
you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when
his glory is revealed." 1 Peter
4:12-13. "Do not be surprised."
I wasn't surprised, I was in shock.
I'd have to sit and absorb this one for awhile. Or maybe since I'm supposed to be standing,
I'll stand for awhile. Keep breathing,
deep breath, take a deep breath. I was
breathing again. I looked into my
Father's understanding eyes. The love I
saw there cuts to the quick. He
believed in me. He really believed in
me. I looked around at the army that my
Father had gathered and saw them as the good, solid, trust worthy soldiers they
are. I wasn't going alone. There were some in this army who had fought
foes stronger than this. Many were
seasoned warriors. Most had been in the
front line of more than one battle.
"Father please give me strength.
Father help me to be fearless, as I should."
It
was time to move! Do good soldiers tremble? Do they fear the unseen? Does a
faithful soldier ever doubt? I felt
faint as panic squeezed the air from my lungs.
My head began to feel light and I began to forget the reason why I was
there. "What am I doing here? What's going on?" And than I felt the hands of those my Father
had sent to protect and stand by me. I
looked around and saw the dependable, steadfast warriors surrounding me. Now I remembered. I was here because of that giant. I had a battle to win.
I
knew I was in good company. My Father
handpicked each and every one of those soldiers long before I ever had need of
them. They were all standing ready. Their faces showed their unshakable loyalty
to my Father. They, like I, couldn't
resist the love of my Father. Somehow
He brought out the best in us. He found
depths we didn't even know exist. One
thing I did notice, these soldiers had positioned me in the middle. The enemy would have to fight hard to get
through to me. I was surrounded by
steady, sure, and strong bodies. Thank
you Father.
"There
he is! He's worse than I could ever
have imagined. Oh no, just as I
thought." One look at the enemy
and I was trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"I'm no good for battle.
I'm no warrior." My knees
were trembling so hard I was sure to fall.
The ground was so uneven, and with my trembling knees I felt like I had
two left feet. "I knew it. I'm stumbling, going down! Wait, what was that?" It was the steadying hand of one of those
sure and steady warriors that my Father had chosen. Thank you Father.
"It's
worse than I thought. He's not
alone. He's brought other giants with
him. How can we fight all those giants? Father, I know this is the moment you have
been preparing me for. That whole year
spent in basic was for this one moment.
Help me, Father, help me be strong and fearless. Let me look at those sure strong steps of
the warriors around me and be encouraged.
Help me hear the steady rhythm of their stride and be calmed. Each foot they plant is immovable until it's
time to take another step forward.
Father, help their determination and confidence inspire me to the
same. Father, help me believe."
"It
seems like the ground is churning. Were
these giants so strong they could even lift the ground and cause it to move
like waves under our feet? Listen to
their wild cries of war! Isn't anyone
else afraid? These giants are strong,
maybe too strong. These warriors of my
Father don’t' seem to frighten at all.
They have their eyes fixed not so much on the giants as on something
higher than them. Look at their faces. Why would love be reflected in their
eyes? I thought all warriors looked
fierce, mean and cruel during a battle.
Where does their faith come from?
Where do they find the strength to move forward?"
"I
don't think we can continue to move against this tide. This horrible mud we're marching through
makes each step we take excruciating.
My feet are beginning to feel like lead weights with all the mud
attached to them. The muscles in my
legs are burning with each step. The
burden on my back seems to push me deeper into the mud each step I take. I feel spent. I don't think I can move any further. "
"But
wait, I feel so much lighter. I don't believe it. One of my Father's warriors is carrying my burden along with
his. Thank you! Thank you ,Father, for
those You chose to stand with me. Thank
You for the tender mercies they so freely give. You really have instilled so much of You in their hearts. These warriors will never give up and,
Father, they won't let me give up either.
Thank you. "
"We
may be crazy but we're facing these giants! We're moving forward. This is great! We're actually winning.
We're facing the giants.
Oh! Oh, how that hurts. I have never felt such searing, fiery pain. Somehow that sword slipped right through my
armor. I've had it. I'm gone now. What's this? My Father's
warriors are laying their bodies over mine.
They're taking the hits meant for me, the arrows sent from my
enemies."
"Go
on. Go on without me. No.
Don't let me hold you up. What's
that? You're going to carry me. You're
going to carrying me so I can share in the victory. Why? Because you love my
Father? I know what you mean. Thank you."
"We're
still moving forward, though now my feet aren't even touching the ground. I feel like a potato sack slung safely over
the massive shoulder of this seasoned warrior.
Look at those scars. So
many. This warrior has fought some
battles. He's seen some action. Some of these look pretty fresh, raw. He certainly hasn't been taking any breaks
between assignments. This one looks
like it only happened yesterday, but yet he's still carrying me. It must be causing him such pain, yet he's
carrying me anyway. I need to know
something about this warrior who is so willing to face battle after battle, one
who is willing to carry my pain on top of his.
I'll ask my Father. He'll
know. Father will not only know his
name; he'll know everything about him.
I know each one of these warriors is so important to my Father. He values them more than He values His own
life."
"We
won! Father! We won! The warriors you
picked did it. They were unbelievable. They never gave up! They never quit! When I got wounded they protected me and carried me. Father they did it all! They were incredible! Me?
You're little warrior? You're
proud of me? I love you Father.
Cindy
*Note: The above was actually something God
showed me during a particularly hard time in my life. It was a time that physical illness had me at a such a point that
even to rise up from bed required the help of what I visualized as five angels. One for each arm and leg and one to hold my
head up. Roxanne was so young, so
precious and I didn’t want to miss this time with her.
You may be thinking “that might as well have
been yesterday!” Maybe you’re in the
midst of a battle at this moment. The
enemy does seem like a giant! Houses
looking as if they should have a warning posted to the doors, “Disaster Area,
Beware”; kids arguing, “Beware Explosive Area!.” Sleepless night, attacks by those who can’t understand the vision
of homeschooling, doubts, failing health, yes the list goes on and on. You may be at the point of not only
physical, but spiritual collapse.
But precious one in Christ, you don’t have to go at it
alone! We would love to intercede for
you, take the arrows for awhile! Let us
help you with your burden. No I don’t
know you, but I love you because the Father loves you!”
That they would help together by
prayer for them…
II Corinthians 1: 11
(Praying for ourselves, for each other
that we may hope for the
soon to be occasion of)
…giving thanks by many…
II Corinthians 1: 11
If
the ground is being pulled out from under you or your armor is down, let us
stand with you in prayer. If you are
too weak to pray, God hears the whispers of your heart, but let us fill the
throne room with your name and your needs.
God
is with you always! And at this time He
has provided each of us with this wonderful, blessed gift of interceding for
each other!
" No
one will be able to stand up against you all the day of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you;
I will never leave you or forsake you."
Joshua 1:5
Praise
Jesus!
