"Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand..." Ephesians 6:10
I love this familiar scripture! It's such a beautiful portrayal of God's protection over us - His love and power visualized as a full suit of armor. I especially love it when it's viewed in light of what Paul says later in his letter to the Corinthians.
"Therefore I am well content with weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." 2Corinthians 12:10
Paul, in essence is teaching that when he is weak the Armor of God is there to protect him. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith in one hand and the sword of the spirit in the other, the helmet of salvation firmly in place.
Do you ever have those times in life when you feel very weak, like you just can't take another step? When what's behind you is a blur of busyness and what's in front of you is so monumental you can't focus on any one thing. When you just want to crawl into bed and wish everything away. Or, perhaps, like me after a very busy season the thought of solitude sounds so very sweet.
What sends us to those places? Paul said that God gave him a thorn in his flesh to keep him from becoming conceited because of the surprisingly great revelations that god had given him. While I know that God has not given me any great revelations, I sense that after a while of things going well, sometimes God allows a time of humbleness so that I won't become prideful in my own strength and abilities.
God's spiritual armor doesn't fit well when I am already wearing the armor of pride or self-reliance. Remember when David put on king Saul's armor it was bulky and cumbersome and was more to his detriment than to his protection.
When I come to the end of myself and there is not one ounce of pride left in me, that is when I can fully put on the Armor of God with its most perfect fit.
Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power....for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for bringing those times when I see my weakness fully and boldly, for that's when you wrap me up and fortify me in your most perfect fitting armor.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
You have a gift for words and insight, Karen. I know whenever I'm near you, I feel soothed, like my ruffled feathers are finally relaxing and laying flat and I can focus on what I need to. I'm so busy being wrapped up in my ill-fitting armor of pride I fail to see how things can be better until I toss it aside and give it up to God.
ReplyDeleteBlessings on you!
Karen, I just love this. Thanks for the reminder that we need to daily put on the armour of God. He freely gives us all the weapons we need to do battle yet so many of us face battle without our armour. We serve such a giving a gracious God. I love you. Julie Huckabee
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you Ann & Julie,
ReplyDeleteYour comments are very thoughtful and encouraging. Thank you very much! I love you both dearly.
Karen