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Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage . . . for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
The General is a Foot Soldier
When I was in school I
memorized a poem for competition. Can't remember if I won anything, but I remember
the poem word for word. It was the thoughts of a dead soldier as he considered
what had happened. One extremely potent line went, "I wonder if the kings, who
planned it all are really satisfied? They played their game of checkers and
eleven million died." [1]
I was fascinated by the macabre idea of individuals
holding so much power. I could see the kings and generals gathered in a war
room pushing toys around on a map and I heard the corresponding screams of
thousands as they obeyed commands trickling down to them from above.
Have you ever felt that way
about God? Be honest. Does the Almighty sometimes seem like a distant commander
sending soldiers to die while he personally remains far above the fray of combat?
I confess; I've felt that way and these were some of the darkest moments I have
ever known. Being trapped in a battle with nothing but commands behind you and
duty before you is the clearest picture of loneliness that I can conceive.
But, it is also a false
picture because our God is not only the general, He is a foot-soldier, too. As
general, God gives commands and there are times when those orders frighten us or
seem impossible. Yet, when He gives the command to charge a giant, He doesn't
leave us alone. He joins us and marches up the hill step by step as we move
forward.
It is tempting to limit God's
role to either general or soldier and hard to think of Him as both, but the
Bible clearly joins those two. Without doubt He is the ultimate Final Authority.
All the commanders and leaders and demigods and kings and tyrants and chiefs
and bosses and rulers that have ever lived, are nothing compared to Him. He has
every right and all the power to issue any command to anyone at any time. To
the most proud and successful He can say, "You fool! This night your soul will
be required of you!" [2] Even Satan cannot defy Him. [3]. Yet, He is also a
very present help in time of trouble [4] and the one who sticks by us closer
than a brother [5].
As Joshua faced the giants of
Cana, God came to him in the night watch. First, He reminded the timid leader
that He was the one who had issued the command to go forward. Second, He gave
assurance of His continued presence. These ancient words are very similar to the
ones Jesus used when He said, "All authority is given to Me in heaven and in
earth; . . . and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." [6]
Not many generals would leave
the war-room to engage personally in the battle. But our General not only joins
us, He is also proud to be called our comrade in arms. [7].
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Wishing You Grace and Peace,
Elizabeth Baker
[1] The Unknown Soldier by Billy Rose [2] Luke
12:20 [3] Psalm 2:4; Revelation 20:3. [4] Psalm 46:1 [5] Proverbs 18:24
[6]
Matthew 28:18-20 [7] Hebrews 2:11
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