Deuteronomy 31:7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance.8 And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.”
With the college national championship over (roll tide) and the NFL world championships in full swing we see football at it's best. (hopefully) I am amazed at how much teams have compromised their running games by leaving out the fullback position in their plans. I am sure the halfbacks feel the same way as they hit the line after receiving the ball and realize there is no big, strong fullback to lead the way. Every once in a while they will insert a play that causes them to put in a fullback to block or even run the ball and it is usually inside the five yard line so they can get a touchdown. The fullback position is not a very glamorous position but I believe it is vital to a "team" game. Maybe that is the problem with using the fullback, it is not glamorous enough!! Most fullbacks are huge muscle bound athletes who are very strong and realize their role and do it will. Some may say they are just linemen who can hold on to the ball when it is handed to them. But I believe they are much more than that.
The one who goes before us is the Lord God and He fights our fights for us at every turn, but like in football, God's contribution is many times forgotten. We really don't know how many times God blocks for us or carries us through a bad situation to a touchdown in our life. The sad thing is we forget how much God is doing and how active He is in our life and don't invite Him to help us in many more things in our lives. God is the Ultimate Fullback who goes before us like Moses told Joshua in verse 8 "8 And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you." God is not only blocking, but He is carrying us and in our weakness He is our strength. The Apostle Paul understood this and in 2 Corinthians 12:9 he writes 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
In the above scripture in Deuteronomy we hear Moses parting instructions to Joshua and part of those instructions involved letting God fight their battles for them in the Promised Land. The chilidren of Israel had already heard varied reports about how it would go for them in the promised land, so they may have wondered if this would be a good move. So Joshua needed to be resolute in his attitude about leading them there, because there were going to be doubters. For us this is a great lesson about trusting God to go before us in our walk and trusting His power in our lives. What a difference there would be if we learned to trust God and His power. I believe it would change how we perceive all of the tough times in our lives because we would know that God is "going before us" and clearing the way!! He is the God who goes before me and behind me and sustains me in every step I take. He is the God of the angel armies and I praise Him!!
The Pilgrimage continues....
David Warren
Comments