Sit back and relax!

Well, that sounds like a call for vacation! And undoubtedly I jumped into the luxury vehicle that took me on this journey. The start was every bit as predicted-  relaxing. Just when I was beginning to get comfortable, I was shaken up from my comfort zone. Everything seemed to get tougher - the choice I made, the aftermath of the choice, the result of it, it all did not look like it was part of a Divine plan. We are all taught from our childhood, that there can be no harm that would befall the children of God. He is our protector, defender of the weak, a shield and rampart around them that trust Him. Here I am standing on what looks like an abandoned piece of dry land, wondering if all I've known of God and His plans is true or has it been my imagination all along. After all, the Lord says in Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me." It's supposed to make me immune to the struggles of this life, right? The answer I've learnt is 'Yes and No'.

I reach out to God, who has been watching over me all along, and He looks at me saying, 'how many times do I have to prove my faithfulness to you. Look back at the road you had traveled thus far. Do you think  you could have made it without me?' I understand that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, assuredly yes, but this also means that there will always be weapons aimed at me. Either I have to dodge them or be suited up with an armour to shield myself and guard my life. I was not prepared for this.

So this journey has become more of a hiking trip and my creator is my guide. He walks with me. He says to me, as in Psalm 32: 8, 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you (who are willing to learn) with My eye upon you.' The one who knows the end from the beginning has just offered to be my personal tutor and mentor and guide. Can it get any better? Yes it could.

Sometimes in life, or should I say most often, our faith, our devotion and our loyalty is put to the test. It is not just so we will fail and God would say, 'Ha, I knew it. You men are frail.' It is only to make us stronger and equip us for greater things in life. Struggle to struggle takes us from glory to glory. When the heart says, Lord I need you not because you are God, but because You are all that matters', then a paradigm shift happens and most definitely all weapons formed against us will not prosper.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. they are brought down to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."