When God Steps In
.
Ephesians 6:10-18
10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15. and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; 16. besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. 17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
You may see the scripture selection this morning and feel like I’ve run out of “inspiration!” Maybe you’ll decide I’ve lost touch with God and so am falling back on an old tried and true, well-known passage. I shared this scripture not too long ago, it’s true. And earlier this morning as I sat in my chair in my "sacred space" I was drawing a big fat zero! Nothing – because too much was running through my mind and I was trying to manage too much information. Then it hit me – I need to give this all to God! (Remember I’m a little slow on the uptake sometimes!). Of course that’s what I needed to do!
And so do we all. I’ve got issues enough to share with 2 or 3 people this morning! And they involve just about every aspect of my life – family, work, church, friends – you name it—it’s on my mind and on my heart this morning. And I felt so overwhelmed and tired and helpless and weighted down when I sat down to read my bible this morning. And then my mind clicked on! Just like that graphic of the light bulb over the stick figure’s head! Give it to God! No that’s not a cop out! It’s actually the smart thing to do! Remember, Mary, He’s in charge?! Oh, that’s right!
These verses remind us that brute force is not the requirement for winning the battle – it is strength of character. When we feel small and helpless, God rushes in, suiting us for the battle, and reminding us that He is the only weapon we need! When we feel burdened with the weight of the world, God fortifies us – he arms us with the Holy Spirit. And Paul reminds us that we’re not just fighting against forces equal to ourselves. No, we’re fighting against the powers of evil—and Satan is so deceptive and so cunning – and so very patient! He waits until a morning such as this to strike!
So we must “keep alert with all perseverance” so that Satan doesn’t take hold of our minds and our hearts. This is the real deal—good against evil. Satan doesn’t like it when we “wake up and smell the coffee!” He likes to use the people and situations in our lives to wear us down, and wear us out – until we get so focused on the issue at hand, that we forget the real issue: God is all we need. Alpha. Omega. Everything. All. Perfectly complete.
I will leave my house today, suited in the full armor of God – checking for kinks as I go. Knowing I am clothed in His perfection, His power, His ability, His wisdom, His strength.
I hope for you today the same comfort and assurance I receive from reading these verses. And that when you begin to feel out of control – you’ll realize you are! – and that’s when God steps in.
Mary
