This is my command—be
strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you
go. Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
My son, Adam, is a Marine scheduled for
deployment to Afghanistan in March 2012.
Several weeks ago we stumbled into a conversation discussing his course
of action in the event he was taken captive by the Taliban. Adam quickly assured me he would not allow
himself to be captured — the risk of torture was too great. He would “use his last bullet on himself” to
keep that from happening. Alarmed to
hear this I reminded Adam that he would have to answer for the blood on his
hands, including his own, and pointed out to him that no torture he could
possibly face was worse than crucifixion.
Convicted by my reasoning that “Jesus didn’t save the last bullet for
himself”, Adam assured me that he would not end his own life to avoid
capture. With Adam’s permission I am
including an excerpt of his account of our conversation posted on his Facebook
page:
“If you haven’t had the chance recently,
read the account of Jesus’ anguish in Gethsemane described in Matthew 26:
36-46. I love this passage because here
we see Jesus’ humanity on display more so than at any point in the Gospels. He is literally scared to death of what is
ahead of him. However, rather than
insisting that the cup be passed from him, Jesus humbly submits to the will of
the Father. What he subsequently endures
was the pinnacle of induced physical suffering known to man at that time, yet
Jesus remained steadfast through it all, confident that his suffering and death
held a greater purpose. What argument do
I have then, to excuse myself from capture and possible torture and death, if
that indeed is what God has planned for me?
I know Christians don’t like to admit or even think about this, but God
never promised us a happy ending on earth.
But nothing we can possible suffer here can remotely compare to the
suffering endured by His son on the cross.
Indeed I have no argument, and if I did take my own life it is because I
let fear become my master. What is fear
then, but a lack of trust, a lack of trust in Him who controls everything? Seems absurd I know, but the crazy thing is,
we give into that fear every day. Rather
than trusting in God’s provision, we take matters into our own hands to ensure
we get what we want: sex, money, power,
“friends”, favor, easy living, or in this personal case, an easy death. All this considered, I often wonder if I
truly believe what I profess to be the truth, or if anyone does for that
matter. My friends, I may be headed for
an earthly battlefield, but make no mistake, all of us are at war every moment
of every day, and our actions on the battlefield have eternal
implications. God is revealing like
never before how truly unprepared I am for the depth of fortitude required in
service of His kingdom. All I can beg
for tonight is forgiveness and for God not to give up on me, even when I give
up on myself. Amazing Grace, how sweet
the sound that saved a wretch like me, for even when I am faithless, He remains
faithful, for He cannot disown Himself
D.W. & A.W.
Think about it: In what area of your life is God calling you
to let go of fear and face the future trusting in His power and provision?
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