The Lord Goes Before You

"Then Deborah said to Barak,

'Get ready!

This is the day the LORD will give you victory over Sisera,

for the LORD is marching ahead of you.'

So Barak lead his 10,000 warriors down 

the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle."

Judges 4:14 NLT

He knew in his heart what he must do.  The people had suffered so under the iron fist of Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army.  His 900 chariots intimidated the people of Israel into submission.  Who could rise up against them to win liberty?  Barak knew he was the man for the job; the Lord had placed this call upon his life.  Still, his heart quaked at the thought of what he must do.

Soon he received a summons from Deborah, the prophetess of great faith who led the people with grace and wisdom.  Not surprisingly, she spoke to him as if he already knew what to do, which he did.  

"Didn't you hear a command from the Lord to confront Sisera and his army?  Go!  Take 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun and the Lord will draw Sisera and his multitudes to meet you at the river Kishon.  There our mighty God will deliver them into your hand."

"I am ready, but I do not want to go it alone.  I need the assurance that God is with me; I need to know His will and to hear His voice. Since your faith is so strong, Deborah, will you go with me to help me do as God has bid?"

"Yes," came the reply from the woman of God, "but it will not be you who receives the glory, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman."  (paraphrased from Judges 4:1-9)

Barak proceeded to gather the necessary troops and prepare for battle.  Still, he held back.  In order to rally his courage, she reminded him Whose battle this was.  "Go!  The Lord is already there waiting for you, therefore there is nothing to fear!"

How often do I hang back, unsure of the calling God has placed on my life?  I wait for reassurance, wanting to make sure I'm not out of my mind.  I fear failure.  I may have felt confident when the call first came but now that the time for action has arrived, my resolve wavers.  In these times of doubt and insecurity, I can remind myself as Deborah did for Barak:  The Lord goes before me.  

Prepare the Way

The entire Army post where I lived with my husband and family was talking about the visit.  Secret Service members painstakingly inspected the areas where the president would visit, checking for security risks.  Local law enforcement was alerted, evacuation routes were secured and checkpoints established.  Every measure was taken in order to ensure the safety and protection of the president.

I was amazed at the measures that were taken to prepare the way for the man who held the highest office in the land.  The gym where I worked out was even closed for a few days prior to his visit in order to secure it for the president's possible morning workout two days hence.  

Even though I don't have a security detail that goes before me, preparing for every move I make, God does lay some groundwork ahead of me.  There are pieces that must be put into place, people whose hearts need softening, and obstacles which must be cleared.  

This means I need not fear to step ahead in faith, knowing that God has freed a path for me to walk upon.  It reminds me of the time my family and I were traveling across the country in the snow.  The going was tough until we spotted a snow plow.  As we fell in at a safe distance behind the large snow-removing truck, we benefited from the cleared road and freshly applied sand.  Our traction improved and the going was easier.

My job, then, is to follow behind the Lord as He prepares the way for me.  When I'm afraid to reach out to the one who has hurt me so badly, I can go with confidence, knowing that God has prepared her heart to receive my goodwill offering.  Or if I know I must step ahead into the place that seems so foreign, I can be assured that my Father's presence will make it feel like home.  Even if I sense God leading me where I vowed to never go again, I can find strength in the fact that He is doing something new today, creating life where there once was nothing but death and destruction (Isaiah 43:19).

When God calls me into the unknown, I can take heart knowing that He is preparing the way for me.

Fight the Battle

It was quite embarrassing.  This little shepherd boy who knew nothing of soldiering had naively offered to kill the 9-foot giant-of-a-man who was born and bred to fight.  For well over a month, this Philistine champion, all decked out in his heavy armor and bearing his mighty javelin, mocked and heckled the Israelite army, hurling insults and taunting the frightened men.  Not one man offered to face him one-on-one; that is until David showed up to bring food to his brothers(1 Samuel 17).

How could this young lad possess the courage to stand against such a formidable foe?  He knew the Lord in a way that most did not.  He had experienced God's power as he killed lion and bear while tending sheep. He knew something about God's ability to fight on his behalf. Therefore, David was able to unwaveringly say to this terrifying mammoth, "I'll strike you down and cut off your head. . . it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's"(1 Samuel 17:46, 47).

I, too, can possess such courage if I will only give God a chance to fight my battles for me. When I'm tempted to seek revenge upon those who try to destroy me, I can instead walk forward in love, choosing good over evil while letting God settle the score (Romans 12:17-21).

When I feel helpless against the overwhelming hardships that bring such suffering into my life, I can rest in the knowledge that God's grace is enough to give me the strength to carry on (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When I want to do whatever I can to protect those I love from heartache, I can trust God to use the hard circumstances of their lives to mold them into the man or woman He created them to be (Hebrews 12:11, Isaiah 38:17).

When God calls me into the impossible, I can take heart knowing that God is fighting the battle for me.

Lead

My dog is a horrible leader.  As a lab mixed with a herding breed, he is created to round up animals and drive them into a pen or keep them in a herd as they graze.  Consequently, he prefers to walk behind a group.  

In contrast, the Lord is a Shepherd who leads from the front.  I can take comfort in knowing He is there, guiding the way, revealing His plan, and showing me where to go.  I don't need to figure out what my next step is, how to negotiate a certain obstacle, or when to take a rest and when to run.  God is confidently and assuredly leading me every step of the way.

The problem comes with my ability to follow.  Many times I run ahead, assuming I know the direction in which the Lord is leading.  Other times I wander off to the side, losing track of Him as I let worry, worldly attractions and unnecessary pursuits distract me from His guidance.  Then there are the times when I tarry, feeling unsure of the path on which my Shepherd walks.

Whatever my issue, I can be confident in God's ability to lead me well.  He knows when rest is called for, when prodding is necessary and when reassurance is needed.  He also is my perfect protector, reliable provider, and the Giver of all good gifts (Psalm 23, James 1:17).

When God calls me forward, I can take heart knowing that He is expertly leading me.

It is easy to lose heart when the time comes to act on the call God has placed on my life. Remembering His position out in front, however, can give me courage to step out in faith. He prepares the way, fights my battles, and leads my footsteps. Therefore, there is no need to fear but every reason to step forward in faith.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to go where He is leading me.

When do I balk at the mission to which He has called me?

How can the knowledge of His presence spur me on?


Originally published on March 14, 2014

On Who's Side Are You?

"Many are the plans in a man's heart,

but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

Proverbs 19:21

A good friend reminded me of this truth when I was feeling at the mercy of others' decisions.  I was afraid that I would be pushed into something that was outside of God's will.  That was when she reminded me that man can try to make things happen, but if it's not a part of God's plan, it won't come to pass.  

This got me to thinking about His will.  As I studied scripture, her reminder came to life as I read about several instances where God's plan prevailed despite human frailty, sin and trickery.

Human Frailty

Barak was called by God through the prophetess Deborah during a time when Israel had suffered under the rule of Jabin, King of Canaan whose cruel commander, Sisera, had oppressed them for twenty years.  God told him to take 10,000 men from two tribes and assured him that victory over the tyrant's 900 chariots would be Barak's.

He hesitated, however, aware of the overwhelming odds and refused to go unless Deborah went with him.  She agreed, but said that because of his lack of faith in the God who called him, the honor for the victory would go to a woman. 

God did bring about victory for the Israelites, thanks to a sudden torrential rainstorm and flooding creeks which wreaked havoc on the heavy chariots.  The Canaanites were wiped out and the credit for the final death blow to the evil Sisera went to a common housewife named Jael.

It was God's will to deliver his people from the hand of Sisera.  Even the weakness of Barak could not stop his plan.  

I can't mess up God's plan for my life.  My fear or someone else's zeal will not change the course that God has set.

I can trust God because no amount of failure or mistakes on my heart can alter His plan for my life.

Human Sin

Moses was known as a friend of God and the most humble man of his time, but even this great man of God was a sinner, just like you and me.  After spending 40 days and nights with God on the top of Mt Sinai, he came down with many instructions from God regarding worship and the building of the tabernacle along with the tablets on which God had etched the ten commandments.  

He famously hurled the stones to the ground, breaking them into pieces when he witnessed the Israelites taking part in the revelry of worship around a golden calf.   His anger was justified against the sin he observed, but in a fit of rage he broke the newly fashioned tablets.

Despite the sin, God did not abandon his people.  He had every right to wipe them off the face of the earth for their rebellion: But God had a plan for these people.  It was a plan to, ". . .do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world.  The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you." (Exodus 34:10) 

So God gave them another chance.  The LORD instructed Moses to chisel out two new tablets and carry them up the mountain where He would, ". . .write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke." (Exodus 34:1)  

Even the outright rebellion of God's people or the impetuous damage Moses did to God's work would stop the will of God.

There are areas in my life that I struggle with sin problems.  I continue to submit them to the Lord, only to have them creep back up again later.  But my sin is not an impediment to God's work in my life.  His power has overcome my sin in the form of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.  

Sin no longer rules me.  But when I fall into sinful behavior, as my flesh is wont to do, I can rest in the knowledge that my sinfulness won't mess up God's plan. Just as with Moses and the Isrealites, God will give me a second chance and His purpose for my life will stand.

God's sovereign plan is more powerful that my sinful behavior.

Human Avoidance

Ahab was one of the evil kings of Israel who completely disregarded God's commandments.  He, " did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him."  (1 Kings 16:30)  He married the evil Jezebel and encouraged his people to worship Baal by building a temple to the false god and led God's people away from worship of the One True God by erecting Asherah poles for people to freely venerate.

One of the things Ahab did which revealed the darkness of his heart was that he sought out prophets who told him what he wanted to hear instead of what God wanted him to know.  This got him in trouble one day when numerous false prophets deceivingly advised him to attack Ramoth Gilead because the Lord would be with him.  When Micaiah, the true prophet from God was summoned, he gave Ahab a different message; a message from God.  The LORD said the people of Israel would be scattered and the king himself would die.

Ahab refused to listen and instead disguised himself as he went to battle, thinking he could avoid the inevitable.  Not surprisingly, a stray arrow found a chink in his armour and killed him, just as God had warned.

People throughout the ages have tried to ignore the warnings of God, to no avail.  As David reminds us, "Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?. . . If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you." (Psalm 139:7, 11-12)

I can't trick God.  I can try to pretend like I don't hear Him, but that won't change His plan.  His will wins out every time!  It is better for me to fall into obedience of His calling instead of to fight against it.  

No one wants to fight against God.  Even the Pharisees backed down from their persecution against Peter and the other apostles when they received the following advice. "If their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39)

It is better to work with God than against Him because in a battle of wits between me and God, God will triumph every time. 

When I am in despair and things seem out of control, I can remember that God is in control and His purpose will prevail despite my frailties, sin or desire to evade.  In the words of Isaiah the prophet, "For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?  His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14;27)  

Since nothing can stop Him, the question becomes, "On who's side am I?"

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can align myself with God in my thoughts and attitudes.

How do I fight against God by ignoring His calling on my life?

When do I give up, thinking that my sin is messing up His plan?