May the mumbling commence!
From where does strength come? What does strength look like? True strength does not take the guise of the action men and women of our summer movies that earn a degree in pyrotechnics and violence. True strength, as true wisdom, comes from our heavenly Father. Read from Psalm sixty-eight:
Your God has commanded your strength;
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
Kings will bring presents to You.
Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war. (Verses 28-30)
The strength of God’s speech has created us. God will strengthen us and what He has done for us. Those who are considered strong in the eyes of humanity – even kings – will bring presents onto the Lord.
Even the animals that we associate with strength – like elephants and hippopotami – are as nothing to the rebuke of the Lord. Yes the mighty animals that adorn our sports teams and nations must submit to the Lord. Those animals that we take as mascots into war are humbled by the strength available in the Lord.
God scatters the people who delight in war. God does not delight in war. God delights in rightful relationship and justice and peace. None of these things can ever be found in war – in the things that many people see as strength. Even the strongest of these things is weaker than the weakness of our Lord.
Let us study the Way of our Lord as illustrated in the life of Jesus. Let us study war no more. How uncreative and destructive! We will lead ourselves only to death.
Let us learn the give and take of relationship. Let us stretch ourselves to something new. Let us live and use our resources in new and creative ways. And God will lead us unto life. Deliver us, O Lord! Read from Proverbs chapter twenty-four:
Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, "Surely we did not know this,"
Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? (Verses 11-12)
We can hide nothing of ourselves from God. God knows us and our ways better than we do ourselves. The Lord knows that our ways only lead to death and slaughter. Our Creator knows that there is no strength or glory in taking as many people down with us as possible.
Search our souls. Cleanse our attitudes and thoughts and words and actions. Make us a clearer reflection of our Lord and Maker so that not only may we find life but we may also lead others to the life that can only be found in God. That is strength!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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