As Israel would go off to war, God told them “Do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God… will be with you.” They are possibly marching off to their death. Fighting against enemies, horses, chariots and “an army greater than yours.” –Deut 20:1-4 But as they head off he says do not be afraid. I am going with you. God’s saying, “Take a breath. I got this.” God has always said, “I got your back.” Shoot. “I got your front too, I’m leading this pack.” You need your best warriors up front. “I got your back, I’m leading the pack, don’t worry Jack it’s time to attack.”
The commander steps up in front of the army and says if you just built a house, planted a garden, got engaged, and have yet to enjoy the end result of that, go home and enjoy. If you are scared and weak with fear, head out so it doesn’t pass on.
Man. I get scared a lot. Every time I speak in front of people I get nervous and think of what could go wrong. Every time I try to follow God, I start walking then realize what he just said would happen, and I usually need a bathroom break. I worry about things al the time and am scared a lot of times. . Scared of heights, disappointing people, and sometimes of the dark (or perhaps more of the creativity in my head tells me what is in the dark or could be coming out of the dark.) I don’t really want to die. I’m ok with it, I’m looking forward to the after party, but not something I am in pursuit of. So, if the arm was made of men like me, they probably would have all left. But obviously, they didn’t because they knew that God was the supreme power. God could knock out an army with a breath. That they could walk up and yell and God could kill them all. They knew not how but that God was in complete control, and that he was leading the way, and that he had their back.
FOR THE FEARFUL: If anyone thinks I’m bold or daring, I’m not. Appreciate the thought, but not really. I freak out and am afraid, but God reminds me who he is and how invested he is and then we go. I try not to let any fears stop me from doing anything. He told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous” 3 times in the same monologue. Repetition aids learning. Courage is not the absence of ear but the presence of fear with action overcoming it. Mark Twain said “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” (see- quoting someone famous always aids your case) So God is telling Joshua, “Strap up. I know your afraid but act in spite of your fears.” God knows we’re afraid. He doesn’t condemn us for it, he just calls us not to be bound by them.
You know that what he says more times than “be strong and courageous”? “Fear not.” He tells us not to be afraid 365 times in the Bible. So maybe instead of realizing our fears then acting in spite of them, we realize God in the situation first, then apply ourselves to the situation. I think many times we forget God in the situation, we forget who exactly he is and what he’s doing there. One of the most beautiful examples and the most perfect perspectives is David.
D. vs. G. – 1 Samuel 17 – Game time.
Look at David. Puny little fella. Sheppard. No formal training, and he walks up on the scene wehre thousand of soldiers are staring at this one man who is mocking THE GOD. Not "a
god," but "
THE GOD." "a
god" means either a human with an ego or a piece of metal/rock. Talking about an actual God, THE GOD who has power to DO SOMETHING. Something out of our of our control and power. It just so happens that this REAL God is in complete control. Has complete power. Is not made fun of lightly. David walks up and says, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who he should defy the armies of the living God.” – 1 Samuel 17:26. David shows up and says, “What? Who does this guy think he is?! He’s making fun of You, God? Oh, heck yeah, we’ll take care of him!” When people ask him what he ewas doing or worriying, David says, “Seriously? He’s making fun of God. God’s probably just itching to take care of him and all ya’ll are too scared to do anything about it. Pssh, God’s got this!” God’s waiting on someone to step up. So David walks out there (with about as little as possible), calls Goliath out on his comments, then says, this butt-whoopin is coming from the Living God you just made fun of. Today, everyone’s going to know Him. So David does not coward in fear, Goliath starts towards him and David runs toward Goliath. Slingshot. God does work. Goliath goes down. David cuts off Goliaths head.
THAT is God having things. That is the right perspective we should have. I wish I had more. That God is heavily invested in this and that he is the one in control. He’s never broken an promise. Ever. Walk in that. When he says go, rock on and roll out. Let’s go. God’s got this. He’s got your back. He’s got your front. He is the one doing the work. He is the one getting the glory. It’s about him. We get to follow Him. Let us follow hard in the wake of THE GOD.
