The Roaring Armies: God’s Sovereignty Amidst Chaos

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Listen! The armies of many nations roar like the roaring of the sea. Hear the thunder of the mighty forces as they rush forward like thundering waves. But though they thunder like breakers on a beach, God will silence them, and they will run away. They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind, like a tumbleweed whirling before a storm. In the evening, Israel waits in terror, but by dawn, its enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder us, a fitting end for those who destroy us.”
Isaiah 17:12-14 NLT

Do these verses sound familiar this morning? There seems to be so many “roaring armies” around the world. Closest to home here in the UK is the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. But further afield, we have the wars in the Middle East, most notably between the US and Iran. Sudan has experienced internal conflict for many years. Even further away, there are “wars” in parts of Latin America and Myanmar. I suppose the difference today is that there are no two armies facing each other; instead, there are more technological wars, particularly in the use of unmanned devices such as drones. But there is certainly much “roaring” going on, with belligerent leaders and politicians shouting at each other. 

In Biblical days, the armies did face each other, and success on the battlefield was then followed by the subjugation of the losing nation. There was a famous battle in 1 Samuel 17, and we read, “The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them”. We know the rest of that story, involving as it did Goliath and David. 

But in our verses today from Isaiah 17, we read, “But though [the armies] thunder like breakers on a beach, God will silence them, and they will run away”. Then, as now, amid all the noise from armies and politicians, when God speaks, the belligerent disappear. Psalm 2 commences, “Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one”. Today, there may not be the same religious reasoning behind the wars fought. In most, if not all, cases today, it is one evil nation or faction fighting against another of the same persuasion. In the UK, there is much political chatter about the size of the defence budget and how to fund an increase. Our wayward and Godless politicians have missed the obvious solution: if the whole nation turned to God, we would experience His protection from our enemies, real or imagined, without spending money to achieve the same aim in our own strength. Sadly, it seems that such a solution is decreasing almost by the day in our increasingly secular nation. But is that an unrealistic expectation? It probably is, but then we think about Ephesians 3:20, where we read what can be achieved through God’s power within us.

In all the roaring, though, one fact, one truth, shines out like a beacon – God is still sovereign. He is still sitting on His throne, and taking an active interest in what is going on in the world today. We pilgrims turn to Psalm 46 and read, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. … The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress” (Psalm 46:1-2, 6-7). We remember the time when Jesus was sleeping in a boat caught up in the middle of a storm. In all the roaring of the waves and wind, he spoke, as we read in Mark 4:39-40, “When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly, the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”” The God who can silence the waves and wind can also silence the roaring of the nations. God, through His righteousness, will prevail over the forces of evil. Revelation 17:14, “Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all Lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him”.

One last thought from Isaiah 17, and this time in the last verse. We read, “In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its enemies are dead”. Many believers know what it is to go to bed anxious and wake to discover that God has already been at work. Sometimes God’s greatest victories happen while His people are resting. Psalm 30:5, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning”. Then we have Psalm 121:4-5, “Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade”. 

We pilgrims worship and follow a God of love, grace and righteousness. We are His children, and when we hear the roaring of evil in our ears and see the impact on our screens, we remember that God is still in control. Yesterday, today, and forever. We know how history will end, but in the meantime, with the Psalmist, we say, “The Lord keeps watch over [us] as [we] come and go, both now and forever”. 

Dear Lord. Thank You for Your love and grace. Whenever we hear the roaring of Your enemies, we remember that You are our refuge and strength, as we continue our life journey day by day. Amen.

Guard, Hide and Protect

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. Protect me from wicked people who attack me, from murderous enemies who surround me. They are without pity. Listen to their boasting! They track me down and surround me, watching for the chance to throw me to the ground. They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart— like young lions hiding in ambush.”
Psalm 17:8-12 NLT

Five verses this morning, all focused on David’s prayer for God’s protection in the face of his attackers. But we get the sense that these are not foreign nations, attacking David and his people. These enemies of his seem intent on causing David harm personally, and he describes them as being wicked, murderous, pitiless, boasters, and like hungry lions, “eager to tear [him] apart”. 

The Amplified version of the Bible translates Psalm 17:8 as, “Keep me [in Your affectionate care, protect me] as the apple of Your eye; Hide me in the [protective] shadow of Your wings”. The phrase, “as the apple of your eye” is a lovely expression of love and care that conjures up a picture of how much the Lord thought of David, and the dictionary definition refers to something or someone that one cherishes above all others. It signifies a person who holds a special place in someone’s heart. That was what the Lord thought of David. During a conversation between the prophet Samuel and King Saul, Samuel said to him, “But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command” (1 Samuel 13:14). 

The NLT version of the Bible interprets Psalm 17:8 from a different perspective. We all know what happens when something is heading for our eyes. A reflex action results as we endeavour to protect our eyes from damage. And so David is once again praying for God’s protection from people around him, probably his own people, who are verbally and physically guilty of assaulting him. It may have been during the rebellion of David’s son Absalom and we read in 2 Samuel 15:13, “A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!””. Sad days for David, when even his own son became one of those people intent on overthrowing his reign in Israel. 

But today, we pilgrims may or may not have people around us intent on doing us harm, to our reputations, to our relationships, even to our families. But even if not we always need God’s protection from our enemies in heavenly places, those spiritual beings that propagate evil and wickedness throughout the world. There are many, of course, in our societies who fail to understand and recognise the spiritual realm. They have an internal impression, perhaps, of there being something in another dimension, with feelings that emerge during a funeral, or when they walk past a church building. They briefly pause but shrug off any thoughts of God or the devil, as irrelevant to their lives. The devil and his minions are unconcerned about such people, and instead focus their malignant attacks on the children of God, who believe in the Creator of all. The attacks can be subtle, as they were with Eve in the Garden – “surely God didn’t say …”. He introduces doubts into our minds. He seeks to divert us from our faith. He introduces error so imperceptibly and so slowly that the unwary amongst us fail to recognise the danger. But we pilgrims have all of God’s weapons at our disposal and through prayer, through reading the Bible, through fellowship with other Christians – in fact, we have all the resources we need to thwart the attacks of the enemy. With God on our side, guarding our hearts and minds, hiding us under His wings, we have all the protection we need.

We pray, “deliver us from evil” in the Lord’s prayer, and God will answer that prayer, as we are obedient to whatever He says and directs. So a sinful thought or image emerges in our minds and we immediately shut it down in our thinking. A TV programme attracts our eyes and we immediately reach for the off button on the remote. A media report promotes a particular belief and we immediately look elsewhere, back to God. As children of God we live in a different Kingdom, one in which the devil and his angels cannot enter. There is no sin and wickedness there. Yes, we have to live in the kingdom of the world for a while, but in all that we avoid being tarnished by its wickedness. Jesus prayed for His disciples, and for us by association, in John 17, “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold” (John 17:9-12). We pilgrims are protected by “the power of [His] Name”. as the song says, “There is power in the name of Jesus”, and indeed there is.

We find in Mark 3:11, “And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!”” Any inhabitants of the kingdom of darkness had no choice but to obey Jesus. Even His name was enough to cause them to flee from Him. But it wasn’t just Jesus who had the power. We read from Luke 10:17, “When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!””

The Lord will protect us. Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” It says that in the Bible, folks, so when we feel under attack and exposed in a place we would rather not be, we look up and see the One who guards, hides and protects us. He will never let us down.

Father God. What can we say but a big thank You, to the One who loves and cares for us, each and every day. Amen.


Safety in God

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.”
Psalm 16:1 NLT

A short verse this morning that starts our contemplation of Psalm 16. Safety is something we all yearn for, but in our physical lives it is not always achievable. There is something wired into human beings that desires a safe place and we often talk about “home”. There is something reassuring about entering our front doors, turning the lock and relaxing in what we perceive as a safe place. People with substantial means can afford to employ people to keep them safe, or they can afford to live in places where they think that their wealth will defend them.  But there are many in the world that don’t have that safety and security, people with limited means living in hostile nations, people who are tent dwellers, or refugees, and so on. 

David was a man who knew what it was like to be in places of danger. He always seemed to be fighting someone, both inside and outside Israel, and not just Goliath. There was a time when he found safety in a cave, “So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there” (1 Samuel 22:1). David also made Jerusalem a place of safety, “So David made the fortress his home, and he called it the City of David. He extended the city, starting at the supporting terraces and working inward” (2 Samuel 5:9). Of course, at other times, David did not need to run and hide in a place of safety, because, with the Lord with him, he was able to fight off his foes and ensure his own safety following victory in battle. In fact, David prayed to God many times for safety and God answered his prayers, and, as we know, David died of old age, not being killed by his enemies in a vulnerable place.

But there is a spiritual side to David’s appeal to God for safety as well. We read in Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe“. We also read in Proverbs 29:25, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety“. As we read these and similar Scriptures, a picture builds of the ultimate place of safety as being in God. 

With Jesus came the ultimate route to a safe place for our souls in Heaven. There will be no conflict or danger there, just peace and love in a dwelling place where no door locks are required. We pilgrims of course know the way to find that place of safety for our souls. Romans 10:9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved“. 

With God we find the safety for which our souls crave, and a place we can call home. That’s what the saints of old called Heaven – they used to say that when they die they will be going “home”. David realised that and he finished Psalm 23 with, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever“. We can’t move on today without reading a few verses about our ultimate place we will call home. Contrary to popular opinion, there will come a time when God will create a new Heaven and a new Earth, where a new Jerusalem will be formed. God’s people will live there, not in Heaven, and we read in Revelation 21:3, “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them”. In Heaven we will have spiritual bodies, but eventually we will have physical bodies like that of Jesus, bodies as God originally intended, bodies that will never wear out, and we, in our new bodies, will find a new home with God on the new earth. 

Too much to take in? Suffice to say that God is indeed our place of safety, now and forever.

Dear Father God. There will be a day when You will come to live on the new Earth with Your people. We look forward to the time when there will be no more death, crying and sickness, and we repeat the words uttered by many saints over the years – come Lord Jesus. Amen.

God Our Refuge

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.”
Psalm 9:9-10 NLT

In our natural thoughts, we read these verses today and immediately reflect on a place of safety. It could be our home once we have closed and locked the front door.  It could be the thought of a castle like Eilean Donan in Scotland’s Kyle of Lochalsh, or Edinburgh Castle, places thought to be almost impregnable when they were built. Then there was Masada, the last place of safety for the Jews after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And I’m sure David, when he wrote this Psalm, had something similar in mind. Psalm 9:9 mentions the “oppressed”, implying that these were people who were under attack of some kind. Perhaps it was some sort of religious persecution, or difficulties with a landowner or landlord. Even a military source or a thief. In David’s day, there wasn’t the societal cohesion that we enjoy (most of the time) in our Western communities. The “times of trouble” can have many guises. Another Psalmist picked up this theme in Psalm 46:1-2, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea”. In this case, the Psalmist expands on the thought that God is someone to whom we can turn when there are natural disasters. 

Today, we can find ourselves, though, in places of oppression from our enemy the devil. He will find our weak spots and will often waken us with worrying thoughts in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps there is an unpaid bill worrying us, or a family situation that is proving difficult to resolve. Of course, none of these things can be escaped from. We live in a natural world with its rules and regulations, difficulties and challenges, a world degraded by sin. But our enemy will maximise our discomfort because that is what he does. The same old lie from the Garden is still on his lips today, “Surely God did not …”

An 18th Century prayer for children was, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, Watch and guard me through the night, and wake me with the morning light“. The picture emerges of God’s protection extending over little ones, easily frightened by events or noises around them. Another verse that reassures us of God’s enduring protection can be found in Deuteronomy 31:8, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you”. 

God is indeed a refuge for us, a stronghold impregnable to the attacks of the enemy or anyone else. He will keep our spirits safe forever. There is a Psalm I have turned to in the past when faced with a problem, seemingly insurmountable. Psalm 91:4 contains a wonderful word picture of a mother hen guarding her chicks. But God is far more than that and I can remember one time, when the company I was working for was facing financial difficulties and redundancies were threatened, that God took me to Psalm 91:7, “Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.”

But whatever our situation, God “is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble“. He is always there for us. And sometimes, if He allows something to happen to us regardless of our prayers, He knows of something better coming along. Our God is a wonderful caring and loving God. He will always be there for us, and has our highest interests at heart. Oh – by the way – I wasn’t made redundant although others were. God is good!

Dear Father God. You are our wonderful Protector in all circumstances. We may still walk through the valley of death, but You are indeed always with us. Thank You. Amen.