APRIL 2018 - The scatterer has come up against you.
Man the ramparts;
watch the road;
dress for battle;
collect all your strength.- Nahum 2:1
I know I've read these words before, but when I read them last week, they came alive.
I see scattered people every where I turn. I see them struggling with schedules and responsibilities, balancing work and family, worried about bills and paychecks and burning out.
The result is short tempers, hurt feelings, bruised relationships and high blood pressure, and people who don't know what to do. But God, through the prophet Nahum, has provided a prescription for the scattered.
Man the ramparts.
Ramparts, those tall and thick walls that surround a compound on which soldiers patrol to protect a castle or fort, are our first protection against scattered days. We need to surround ourselves with strong Christians who will go to battle with us. We need to keep men and women we can keep close that we can call on them when you need them. The wall itself is built from scriptural truth. Jesus demonstrated that the best defense against the enemy is the word of God. Build your wall. Keep people you can depend on around you. Then, when the scatterer comes up against you, call on these dependable friends.
Watch the road.
There may be many other paths that have gotten you to the place where you are right now, but you're on one road right now. And, if you're watching it, you're looking ahead. You're not looking back. Keep your eyes open for what's coming. You may need to adjust, drop a project or shift priorities. What you can't do is quit or bury your head in the sand. Watch. The. Road.
Dress for battle.
If you are familiar at all with battles in the Bible, you know there's always armor involved. For spiritual warfare, Paul says it best:
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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
It is the foolish man or woman who is not prepared with truth, righteousness, readiness, peace, faith, salvation, the Holy Spirit and prayer.
Collect all your strength.
Notice that God choose the verb collect, not expend. Our first instinct when we are scattered, spread too thin and stressed out, is to either fight or flee. Both of those options require using your strength. God says do neither. Collect your strength.
The Psalmist gets it:
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. So does the prophet Isaiah:
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Be still. Wait on God. Don't join another board, accept another project, or, for that matter, quit something you are already doing. Collect your strength. You'll need it to function, to do the things you've already committed to, to help you remain alert. My guess is that the scatterer has come to most of us. Now we know what to do from this one powerful verse. It is applicable. It is relevant. It is truth.
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