Forty Days of Wimpy

Forty days. You know, lots can happen in forty days. The Bible has many instances where forty days was significant, too. It's easy to do a Google search on it if you're interested. One that really stood out to me was from the Old Testament.

The Philistine soldier Goliath goaded the Israelites for forty days. Did you know that? I didn't. He came out and taunted them and gloated. All he wanted was one person to come fight. If the Israelite won, then the Philistines would be their servants. If Goliath won, then the Israelites would be theirs.

Goliath was BIG, though. Who in their right mind would take a wager like that? No one. No one in the Israelite army anyway. Just look at his armor. No one could touch him with all that on!

He was over nine feet tall.
He had a bronze helmet on his head
wore a coat of scale armor of bronze
on his legs he wore bronze greaves, (a piece of plate armor for the leg between the knee and the ankle, usually composed of front and back pieces)
and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.
His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod,
His shield bearer went ahead of him.

Along came teenage David, a boy that had been taking care of his father's sheep. He walked up to the giant with only a staff in his hand and five smooth stones that he chose from the stream that he put in the pouch of his shepherd's bag, and a sling in his hand. How could the army stand by and watch a young boy do what they should have been man enough to do? They were wimpy for forty days and then David brought them to victory.

His secret weapon was his faith in God.

"David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head." (1 Samuel 17:45)

And God gives us armor to put on now. This armor is much more reliable than old Goliath's, too. Here is our armor we should put on every day before going into battle:

belt of truth buckled around your waist,
the breastplate of righteousness in place,
feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17)

Do we have to get taunted and goaded for forty days before we finally stand firm and put on our armor to do battle? Paul says:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

We may not have to fell a giant today but we do have a house to clean or kids to take care of. Maybe we have hard decisions to make or relationships to mend. Maybe we have to wake up to another day of physical or emotional pain. Whatever it is, however big or small, let's stop being wimpy. Let's "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power."

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Friday Fiction -- It's Just a Name (Game)

For more Friday Fiction, go to Joanne's Open Book and look under comments and click a link, any link - all will be great reading, I'm sure.

It's Just a Name (Game) or Practice Makes Perfect

Davie looks at the scoreboard. Two outs. Last inning. Tied game. If he can just get a base hit his team will win. He walks slowly to the plate. The umpire is there, ready to make his calls. The other team's catcher stands behind Davie. He looks like a solid rock that refuses to budge or miss a ball.

Davie looks over at his coach, waiting for THE sign. What will it be? A bunt? Swing away? Suddenly his eyes blur and all he can see is the other team's 3rd baseman. He looks as big as his coach. He shakes his head to get it back in the game. He's so nervous that he sees the sign but has no clue what he's supposed to do. Everything that he's been practicing for weeks on end flew from his brain and probably landed on the pitcher giving him the inside know.

He automatically gets into his batting stance but suddenly the pitcher looks as large as a giant. There is no way he can hit a ball over that guy's head. Davie breaks into a cold sweat. He closes his eyes just as the first ball is thrown.

"Strike One!" the umpire bellows.

The coach tells him to keep his eyes on the ball. Just as he tries to do just that, the next pitch is thrown in at an incredible speed.

"Strike Two!" the umpire bellows even louder.

"It only takes one," Davie's coach reminds him.

Davie looks at the umpire and calls time out as he walks out of the batter's box. Quickly he remembers what he had just read the night before from 1 Samuel 17,

^45-47 "David answered, "You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel's troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I'm about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there's an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn't save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he's handing you to us on a platter!"

The young boy who was named after his favorite Biblical hero squares up at the plate. His head is now in the game. Ready to take his one little stone and knock that pitcher onto his backside, Davie gets cocky and smiles.

"Bring it on," he mumbles just as the ball comes whizzing by his nose.

"Strike 3," the umpire bellows even louder and lower.

Davie stands, unable to move. His mind becomes totally numb. He certainly doesn't understand what just happened.

The team walks onto the field to shake the other team's hands and say, "Good game." Davie still stands at the batter's box, stunned. His teammates pat Davie on the rear like pro ball players. They tell him it's okay. Davie snaps out of his stupor and walks with determination to the dug out. He looks at his bat and punches it. He throws it down and slams his batting helmet into the dug out, already filled with his teammates.

"Hey, watch it." they tell him.

"Davie, over here," his coach commands.

Davie walks slowly as he peels off one batting glove and then the other.

His coach puts his arm on his shoulder but Davie shrugs it off. "Davie, I don't know what's wrong with you but that's not how we act."

Davie slumps down, trying to hide tears that real men don't shed. "Sorry, Coach."

"I hate to tell you this but you're out the next two games. You'll sit on the bench while your team is on the field and you'll stand at the fence and cheer them on when they bat. Got it?"

Davie kicks at the dirt. "Suppose so."

Davie gathers up his things and walks to his dad who is waiting for him, not looking very happy at all.

"What happened out there, Davie? That's not you. What were you thinking?"

"Dad, I remembered David when he stood up to Goliath and how God was with him. I thought God would do the same for me. God turned His back on me, Dad. Aren't I as important as David?"

Davie's dad smiled. "Sure you are, Son. But David was fighting for his people. Baseball is just a game. God can give you confidence to play the very best you can and that's what your mom and i pray for you each time you go out there."

"I don't get it, Dad. Doesn't God care about me as much as David?"

Now Davie's dad was getting confused. "Sure He does. Maybe God wants you all the time instead of just the times you're scared and thinks He can get you out of a jam. Son, did you have your eyes open on that first pitch?"

"Ummm...no. And the second ball came at me so fast I didn't know what to do."

"You knew what to do. You've done it since you were little. You swing at it. Swing the bat. Nothing lost if you at least try. It's better than just watching it whiz by, isn't it?"

"Guess you're right, Dad.

Davie's dad smiled, "You know what Davie?"

He looked up at his dad. "What?"

"David practiced lots before he stood before his giant."

Realization hit Davie, too. "You're right, Dad. When David took care of his sheep he had to keep the wild animals away from them. He used that sling shot lots. Maybe we can practice tonight after supper?"

"That's a great idea, but first," he looked over at the dug out where his coach still sat working on the books.

Davie said, "I'll be right back, Dad. I better go apologize to my coach."

"Now that, Davie is surely a David type thing to do."

"Dad, can you quit calling me Davie? Maybe call me David?"

"I think you've earned the name, Son. Go on now and we'll all go out for lunch."

David stood a little taller and smiled, "Thanks, Dad. Be right back."

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No Monsters

O God, sometimes You seem too far away.
I cannot in this moment sense Your presence
or feel Your power.
Know what I can feel, though? I can feel satan hovering over me - just waiting and watching for a weak moment to attack. I don't like those times. Not a bit.

The darkness enveloping me is stifling.
It is stifling, the darkness I mean. Things that aren't scary in the light are big and scary at night. Shadows, just like a young child, become monsters that wait to jump out and say BOO just when you least expect it.
This depression is suffocating.
I can't breathe. I'm waiting for the next attack. I know it will come. I'm sure of it. It's just a matter of when.
How long, O God, do I have to live in this void?
O God, how long?
When will the next bad happen? When will you intervene? When will you bring light into this stifling darkness?

Break into this black night, O God;
fill in this vast emptiness.
Enter into my conflict
lest I fall, never to rise again.
"Don't want no monsters in my house tonight
Don't want no monsters in my house
You won't get me screamin', you're nothing but a demon
It's time for you to go now."

I continue to trust in Your ever-present love.
I shall again discover true joy
in my relationship with You.
I will proclaim Your praises, my Lord.
for You will never let me go.
"I am a temple of the Holy Ghost
And I'm protected by the Lord of Hosts
Get out in the name of Jesus Christ
'Cause I don't want no monsters in my house tonight."

I'm tired of the monsters lurking under my bed. I remember being at a slumber party with a friend. We shared her twin bed. We didn't dare dangle our legs because we knew what would happen. We were in high school at that time. We knew it wasn't true - there were no monsters under the bed waiting to grab our legs and eat us for a midnight snack - yet... we did believe. Just in case. Mustn't be too careful, you know.

We have real monsters lurking. They are insecurity, bad health, fear of the future... I could go on and on but I don't need to. I almost picked out the Veggie Tales song, God is Bigger than the Boogie Man but opted for Carman instead. Veggie Tales are cute but Carman has the real answer no matter what the fear:

"I am a temple of the Holy Ghost
And I'm protected by the Lord of Hosts
Get out in the name of Jesus Christ
'Cause I don't want no monsters in my house tonight!"

Nope, no monsters tonight. Praying everyone sleeps deep and hands over their many cares to God who watches over us even when the Boogie Man attempts to say BOO in the night.

(Psalm 13 from Psalm/Now)
(Carman - No Monsters)

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Psalm 13 from Psalms/Now, Leslie F. Brandt

O God, sometimes You seem to far away.
I cannot in this moment sense Your presence
or feel Your power.

The darkness enveloping me is stifling.
This depression is suffocating.
How long, O God, do I have to live in this void?
O God, how long?

Break into this black night, O God;
fill in this vast emptiness.
Enter into my conflict
lest I fall, never to rise again.

I continue to trust in Your ever-present love.
I shall again discover true joy
in my relationship with You.
I will proclaim Your praises, my Lord.
for You will never let me go.

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