This last two weeks has been a blur… its happened to me in the past… When God moves in such a decisive way, that it almost catches you off guard. It feels you’ve got to sprint to keep up.
The strange thing is that the devil is also running, and trying to trip you up, but its like, you don’t sleep, but you wake up with praise on your mouth and you just keep going through the day. The kids are sick, antibiotics needs to be bought, and in your head, you are counting because there is just so much money in your account and meds is expensive, and when you get to the till, the cost is only R21.00!
You talk to God, and share a worry, with no expectation or request, and God comes back with a bear hug and a gift. Because right now, we are running like Elisha, no time to stop, because we need to get to the mountain. And its like the devil is struggling to keep up!
1 Peter 1:5 says: “…Through our faith, the mighty power of God constantly guards us…”
I have to think about this. Actually, you have to “worry” the verse. Meditate on it like we worry about where the food money is going to be coming from…. mull it in my mind, over and over, look at it from every angle, because frankly… it’s profound.
You know the confidence you had in school to stand up to the school bully when 12 of your friends stand up behind you with the full intention that things change now? That is this verse.
The power of God guards us… that is an insane amount of power! Yeah, I am just spinning out a few new galaxies for you guys to discover in a few thousand years… that is the kind of power! And the greek says it much better than the english, trust me! The greek is phrouroumenous from phrouria
In the greek it says the power of God is like a fort Guarding you, like a garrison deployed to Guard a city. And they are there until the end, until Jesus comes again. Actively Guarded, actively watched over, protected and defended – can you even comprehend it?! I can’t…
Peter exclaims it in verse 6 when he says the mere thought of it should make you jump for joy! And it makes sense, he just explained how big the protection really is. Especially when you consider the context.
The Christians he is writing to are the ones banished from Rome, where they were killed and tortured in their masses, persecuted and sent without status or protection to the edges of the Roman empire (what we know today as Turkey, where the church of Efes (Ephesus) is) and Peter acknowledges the fact. In verse 6&7 he continues to say that they have been through grief and trials, but this is only to reveal the strong and unblemished core of their faith
“…lately you’ve had to put up with the grief of many trials. But these only reveal the sterling core of your faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes, for even gold is refined by fire…”
Yes, you have lost brothers, mothers and fathers, but know that there is an army camped around you now. The enemy thinks they are attacking and weakening you, but it is strengthening your faith, revealing what you didn’t even realized you had. Trials reveals our Faith… and God’s Faithfulness.
And then we doubt… at least we are in good company… Jesus feeds 5,000 people, and in the very next chapter (Matthew 15) the disciples are worried about their food supply… so Jesus does it again. This is after Jesus walked on water … with Peter.
