The Storm Cometh

I hath waxed all KJV this morning. As the first winter storm arrives in all its glory, the temp has dropped 9 degrees already this hour and the wind is roaring in the trees, I moved back in time to grab a cherished memory verse:

Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. Nehemiah 4:13-14

In most times of trouble, we would tell our brothers and sisters in Christ to remember the Lord first. At times, I have called out to the Lord over a problem, and then done nothing but wait in prayer. Here, Nehemiah gives a different model. First, he sets his forces to their stations, armed and ready. Then, he commands the people and their leaders to not be afraid. Nehemiah then gives the people a method to remove the fear: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible. We are of course quite capable of preparing and praying at the same time. Nehemiah isn't saying to remember the Lord only after we have banished fear, but to remember the Lord in order to banish the fear.

Too often, I find myself in fear and remembering with earnest concentration the 'them'. Whatever causes my fear, I am bound up in those thoughts as the fear grows and grows. Nehemiah told his people of long ago to remember the qualities of the Lord - great and terrible in the KJV; we would say "great and awesome". In times when the 'them' facing us seems too powerful and frightening, we are to recall the Lord, great and awesome, and then fight.

In Nehemiah's time, the fight did not come. The fact that the Israelites knew of the evil intentions and stood ready to fight kept the enemy at bay. This could happen to us as well, for our Lord is great and awesome, and knowing that He and His people stand ready for the fight may well cause the enemy to look elsewhere for an easier battle. Fear may cause a perfectly good fighting force to fail to prepare and run from the fight. Remembering the Lord, who is great and awesome, prevents fear from overcoming us as we stand in the full armor of God. Stand in Christ, remember our Lord, who is great and awesome!

Bucky