THE RIGHT ALLIANCES

Jeremiah 44:24-47:7; 2 Timothy 2:22-3:17; Psalm 94:1-23; Proverbs 25:28

“’Prepare your shields, and advance into battle! Harness the horses, and mount the stallions. Take your positions. Put on your helmets. Sharpen your spears, and prepare your armor. But what do I see? The Egyptian army flees in terror. The bravest of its fighting men run without a backward glance. They are terrorized at every turn,’ says the Lord. ‘The swiftest runners cannot flee; the mightiest warriors cannot escape. By the Euphrates River to the north, they stumble and fall…. Why have your warriors fallen? They cannot stand, for the Lord has knocked them down.’”

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! … But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.”

“Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on? Is he deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes? … But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.”

When I was in elementary school, I was not known as what one would consider tough. I wasn’t a wimp, exactly, just a little too bookish to fit in with the true athletes and too straightlaced to fit in with those other folks. Like a square peg in a round hole, it was difficulty to find a personal niche. I made a real mistake trying to fit in with my brother’s crowd. Four years older and in high school, there was a world of difference between those true jocks and other toughs he hung out with and the still largely make believe world of us pre-teens. Nevertheless, desperate to find some group with which I could identify, I pestered my big brother and his friends. One day, for whatever reason, big bro’ either left without me or was not around, and his friends let me know in no uncertain terms – without saying a word – that I really was not welcome in their little band. Battered and bruised, I returned home afraid to ever walk down their particular street again.

About a week later, my brother actually asked me to go with him for a walk. Back into the realm of the toughs we went. We visited every house where one of his friends lived that afternoon. We did not stay long, and I cannot say we were exactly welcomed with open arms anywhere we went. By the end of the day, though, one thing was clear. I was free to go anywhere I wanted from that point on. Never did I have to worry about being beat up for just walking down the wrong street at the wrong time. My friends seemed to have been given safe passage as well, at least when we were together. We had a new freedom that allowed us to experience a lot more of the world, and in the process, I found myself much more welcome with those my own age, too. We all grew up, of course, and turf became a thing of the past without great import, but I will never forget the early days or what it meant to have the right man on my side. I still have no clue how he found out what had happened or what he actually said to fix it, but there was never any doubt things changed with just a word or two from my big brother.

It matters who we are allied with. It is important to have the right Man on our side. We dare not go it alone. It makes no sense to try. The world is simply too hostile a place for those with a vision of heaven. We don’t fit in. We need more protection than we can ever provide ourselves.

I’ve seen people lost without Jesus, and I’ve seen people who think they don’t need Him in their lives who seem to do quite nicely, thank you very much. But I always wonder what it’s really like to be in their bedroom at 3:30 in the morning. Do they lie awake wondering why they are here? Do their demons keep them awake, tossing and turning? Certainly, many without Christ have those experiences, just as some who call Him Lord struggle. The absence of struggle is never an indication of the presence of Christ, just as strife is no proof the Lord has left us. The sun rises and sets on us all, and the rain falls on the just and the unjust. The question is where do we turn when there’s no place to hide. Do we find ourselves in a box canyon with no choice but to grin and bear it; or are we allied with a stronger, more courageous force capable of bringing our enemies to heel and protecting us from that which would separate us from eternity?

The question is simple. The answer is not usually quite as apparent, or consistent, as we might like to think. We don’t normally think in terms of alliances at all. We tend to see ourselves in isolation, and in so doing, we limit our options. Christ stands ready to fight with us and for us. It is up to us to accept His help and actively seek His protection.