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For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
You are being followed. Don’t be alarmed. It’s not as if you were being stalked by some dark threatening figure lurking in the shadows. He means no harm to you, in fact he follows you to protect you.
You are being followed. Relax. He’s not some ‘helicopter dad’ who hovers over you and watches your every step in order to protect you from every bump and bruise. In fact, he’s been known to keep his distance from time to time in order for you to test your freedom.
You are being followed. Celebrate! You are being followed by a King! You are being followed by the Creator of the universe. By the wisest and richest and most powerful being around.
He’s not following you to try to catch you at some evil deed. He’s not following you to gather evidence of your shortcomings so that he can bring you to trial and convict you. He’s not following you because he thinks you are going to show him anything new either. In fact, his decision to follow you has absolutely nothing to do with who you are, what you look like or what has happened in your past (good or bad).
He’s following you for one reason and one reason only. He loves you. Not only does he love you but he loves you enough to follow you wherever you go. When you take him to good places where he hears and sees good things, he loves you and celebrates with you. When you take him to places that are dark and threatening, he loves you and protects you.
He’ll never leave you. He’ll never let you out of his sight. Like a protective Father he’ll let you wander a bit, let you feel like you are in control and like you are on your own. But you will never be more than an arms reach away from his protective grasp.
His decision to seek you out and follow you is in no way affected by what other people think about you or say about you, or by anything you have done. The accusations of those who like rules, and those who flaunt freedom fall on his deaf ears. He doesn’t care what others think about you. He loves you. They won’t stop him from that!
To think that God, Creator God, the God of the universe loves you so much that he seeks you out. He follows you on the crowded streets. He watches over you when you go through the dark valleys of life. Always there. Always watching. Always loving. That’s your Heavenly Father. Your sin doesn’t surprise him. Your actions won’t bring revenge. When you stumble he is there to pick you up. He loves you and nothing will ever change that.
PRAYER: Father God, I’m in awe of the fact that you would love me so much that you would seek me out and follow me. I see myself as so weak, so unworthy of your love, so incapable of living the life I know you’d like me to live. I think of the things I’ve let you see and hear. I’m embarrassed by the places I’ve taken you. Thank you for being patient. Thank you for loving me and protecting me in every circumstance. In Jesus name, Amen.
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3
He was just an obscure shepherd. His family and his story suddenly appear in scripture out of nowhere. Abraham was untested when God promised him that he would be father of a great nation. In fact this promise was made before Abraham lied to the Pharaoh by telling him Sarah (his wife) was his sister to save his own skin (he did this twice), slept with his maid to produce his first son and abandoned his first son! Yet Romans tells us that Abraham believed in God and it was his belief, not his worthiness the caused God to look upon him as righteous.
Abraham was also chosen to be a blessing. God’s blessing upon Abraham resulted in those around him being blest. The source of this blessing was God’s work, not Abrahams. He did nothing to solicit the blessing others received nor did he do anything to deserve God’s using him as a tool of blessing. Scripture implies that Abraham really had no part in who was blest or who was not.
God’s protection was upon Abraham. Those that cursed Abraham were cursed by God. Again, Abraham had no part in this. When God’s protection is upon us we have no need to defend ourselves. God’s protection does not mean we will not endure attack. It does not free us from adversity. It does not guarantee that tragedy will not be a part of our life. What it does mean is that when we trust in God fully, He will build a shield around us. Nothing can separate us from the love and protection of Almighty God.
While none of us will be ‘a father of a great nation’ there are lessons each of us can learn from this story. First of all, God doesn’t wait for you to clean up your act or prove yourself or get an education or reach a certain age or place in life before he can use you. He is able to use you no matter what your past, regardless of mistakes you have made or the place you find yourself in life.
Secondly, where ever you go. Whatever situation you find yourself in. Regardless of how you got to the place you are in life. God’s protection is upon you. He is a passionate lover who will go to any length to make sure you are protected. You have no need to defend yourself. It isn’t up to you to ‘get even’ with those who attack you. God will take care of them in His time, in His way.
Lastly, you are blessed by God. Abraham looked forward to the promise of a great nation and a son who would be an eternal King. You can look back to the coming of that promise in Jesus Christ. His love and forgiveness will carry you through today and tomorrow, just as it did yesterday. Not only can you look back to the cross, you can look forward to that day when Jesus will come again to right the wrong and to end death, sickness, greed and hatred forever.
PRAYER: Father God. I’m once again humbled as I realize how much You love me. Like Abraham I, in no way deserve the life you have given me in Jesus. I fail miserably in what I say, do and think. I get angry at those who mistreat me. I defend my actions and retaliate in my own subtle ways. I hereby give you permission to do what you do best; protect me from my enemies, rid me of the past guilt and shame and bless those around me by the life you live through me. Amen.
And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17
How would life be different if you knew that you were surrounded by an army of angels armed and ready to attack at a moments notice? How would that affect the things you are currently worried about? What ‘dream’ that you’ve put on hold would be taken off the back burner and pursued? If you knew that you had an entire army at your bidding how would it affect how you feel about yourself?
The prophet, Elisha, was being pursued by an evil Assyrian King who was angry with Elisha because Elisha had warned the King of Israel of the Assyrian Kings attacks. Time and time again Israel was able to avoid defeat at the hands of the Assyrians. The Assyrian King decided that in order to beat the Israelites he would first have to do in Elisha.
One day, Elisha and his servant looked out beyond the walls of the city and saw the Assyrian army surrounding them. There was no escape. They were doomed and the servant feared for their lives! Elisha prayed and asked God to open the servant’s eyes. When He did, the servant saw hundreds of thousands of angels surrounding the army. Through divine intervention the enemy army was defeated and Elisha and his servant were safe.
There are times in each of our lives when it seems like the troubles and conflicts of life have us surrounded. We see no escape and we feel like we are doomed to failure. It could be finances, school, friends, broken relationships or the consequences of our own poor choices. These things keep us from living up to the potential that God has for us. But the Bible tells us over and over again that our Heavenly Father loves us dearly and has promised to protect us. Our Father desires for each of us to experience His love and protection when the enemy attacks.
Our finite minds are unable to fully comprehend the fact that we are surrounded by the spirit world. Ephesians tells us that every battle we have to fight is not a battle that we can see. The battle is really a spiritual one in which Satan and his angels want to attack us with worry, defeat, guilt, shame and a poor self image. Satan doesn’t want us to know all the things God has in store for us. He’s happy when we are miserable.
God’s army of angels is standing-by, ready to attack Satan’s angels and keep them from pulling us down. If we could see as Elisha’s servant saw, we would realize that we are surrounded by God’s angels, armed and ready for battle on our behalf. With God’s army of angels protecting us, we can freely pursue all that God has for us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that you love me enough to protect me and fight for me. I praise you that even though I fail time and time again you want to bring me through the struggles of my life. Forgive me for constantly thinking that I need to fight my own battles. Keep me from listening to Satan’s lies. Help me see the warriors that you have on my side so I can live in victory for your name’s sake. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 