"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." -Psalm 28:7 (ESV)

 

We have spent these past weeks reflecting on who God is and what He can be to us in our times of fear, trouble, weakness, and despair and how His ability to show us who He is rests in our ability to simply, LET HIM IN! We started off reflecting on how our ability to wait on God and place our trust in Him, renews our strength. We went on to discuss God as Our Guardian, Watchman, Keeper, Our Shield, Our Shade, Our Salvation, and Our Stronghold. Let's further explore God as Our Strength and Shield and how this helps us to endure the unexpected trials of life.

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What Surrounds Us!

 

Let's Be Real, LIFE CAN BE EXHAUSTING! No matter how 'holy' any of us might think we are. No matter how much we love God. No matter how much faith we have. No matter how many times God has come through for us, at some point, we might all find ourselves feeling "OUT OF IT". We might sometimes feel like we need a day to do absolutely "NOTHING"! We find ourselves so exhausted whether because of home life, work life, school life, church life, family life, social life, or wherever else life finds us, that we want a day in which we don't have to communicate with ANYONE, reply to ANYBODY, think about ANYTHING, and again do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! There are times in which some of us may become so exhausted that if someone says as much as "Bless You" after we sneeze, we nearly have a nervous breakdown because everything at this point seems like an attack, another responsibility, something else to add to our plate, or more bad news! But how do we get out of this feeling of, "NO MORE PLEASE!", because at this point that's exactly what our minds and our hearts are screaming to God, "NO MORE PLEASE!"

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One thing that you have to love about King David is that he was absolutely real with God about how he felt. David had no problem being "REAL ENOUGH" with himself about how he felt so that he could take these feeling to God in a way that said, "HERE YOU GO!", "IT'S YOURS!", "FIX IT PLEASE!". Unlike many of us, David was not trying to fight his battles on his own nor was he trying to carry any extra baggage or burdens with him. David realized that trying to do it on his own would not allow him to be the warrior that God had called him to be. David did not have the time to fight against himself or to fight against God because God called him to fight against enemy armies. David realized that his "HUMAN STRENGTH" was but so much. Therefore, he needed more than "HUMAN STRENGTH", he needed a "SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH". HE NEEDED GOD! And SO DO WE!

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In this week's scripture highlight, we examine Psalm 28:7 where we find David once again crying out to God for help. We don't know exactly what David was facing. All we know is that he is pleading with God to hear his call and answer his cry for help. By reading this passage we can infer that there were things going on around David in which people were acting wickedly and partaking in evil deeds and behavior. Whether these evil attacks and deeds were against David or whether David was observing these attacks being inflicted upon someone else, we are not told. But what we do know is that David is asking God to step in and bring an end to the wickedness of these evildoers. David not only pleads to God for protection, but he asks God not to judge him according to the behaviors and actions of the evil ones around him. David is clear in separating himself from the evil deeds and practices of these individuals.

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David wants God to come to his rescue and he wants God to have vengeance on the evildoers that surround him. It also seems as though maybe instead of taking matters into his own hands, he is going to God asking God to handle it on his behalf. We don't know what the "behind the scenes" of this psalm involves but we know that David spent a lot of time running from Saul. We know that as evil as Saul was, even when David had the chance to kill him, David instead trusted God to handle it for him. As great of a warrior as David was, David was wise in knowing that NO ONE FIGHTS LIKE GOD which is why he did not mind handing his battles over to God. David realized that his rebuke of man was not greater nor more powerful than God's ability to chasten them.

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When You Can't Beat Them…Still Don't Join Them

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There is a phrase, "When you Can't Beat Them, Join Them." However, this can be a pathway to disaster depending on who you are joining and what you are joining in on. We often find ourselves in situations in which we may be doing everything that we are supposed to do. We're following God. We're being obedient to Him. We're nurturing our faith and doing our best to trust Him even if we don't always get it right. However, we may all find ourselves in a place in which we are surrounded by evil. While we may be doing what is pleasing to God, the people around us might be far from doing the same. Whether at home, work, school, or even at church, we might all find ourselves feeling trapped in a place in which we may disagree and object to what those around us are doing but have no control or means to stop it. And at many times instead of taking it to God like David did and keeping ourselves as far away from it as possible, we sometimes allow things such as fear, the need for acceptance, lack of confidence, and peer pressure to cause us to join in with them. We must learn that even if we are the minority, even if we are the odd ball, even if we are the only one who steers away from joining in on the ill-intent and wicked behavior of those around us, we must courageously do so. People often overlook that joining in with evildoers in their actions can also mean sharing the burden of their consequence.

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If we look at the phrase, "If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them", the other side to that is when we find ourselves being attacked by our enemies and in becoming weary, disgusted, and plain ole' tired of ignoring them, many of us make the mistake and fight back using our own methods and our own strength because we no longer want to wait on God. We at times get so tired of being picked on and pulled apart by these individuals that our mindsets become, "If they want a fight, I'm going to give them one", and we lower ourselves to their levels of wickedness. This is not saying that we cannot defend ourselves, because we can, but we don't have to do it in a way that causes us to sin, to act out of character, go against our sound morals and values, or work in opposition of the will of God and the instructions that He has given us. We can defend ourselves without being as "messy" as the individuals that are inflicting hardship upon us. Even when we feel like we are being absolutely wronged, we still have to handle it in a way that is pleasing to God. We don't have to be anyone's doormat, but we also shouldn't dirty ourselves in the process.

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"HERE I GO AGAIN!"

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Joseph has been no stranger to our blogs. In "Don't Sleep on Our Guardian" as we reflected on God as Our Keeper, we discussed Joseph and how God kept him throughout ALL that he had to endure. We often speak of the depth of Job's sorrows which were indeed beyond even his own comprehension, but Joseph is another individual who had what seemed like a repeated cycle of "AGAIN". Every time he turned around he "AGAIN" found himself facing some trial that was due to no fault of his own. Just as with Job, all the hardships that Joseph experienced were not because of something that he had done, but they happened as a result of what God had called him to do.

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God could have allowed Joseph's brothers to carry out their attempt to kill him, but instead He shielded him. When Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph of assaulting her, out of anger, Potiphar could have harmed Joseph. Potiphar did not know that his wife lied, but God did, and God once "AGAIN" shielded Joseph.

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We must understand that when we start to experience this whim of "HERE I GO AGAIN" because we are facing another attack, another trial, another setback, another giant, another pit, another fire, or another lion's den, when we place our FULL TRUST in God and we reverence, honor, and thank Him during the process, HE HAS NO CHOICE but to match our "AGAIN" with "HIS AGAIN". What is God's Again?

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God's AGAIN?: When Joseph went from the pit to "AGAIN" being sold and ending up at Potiphar's house, God "AGAIN" kept him. And when because of the lie of Potiphar's wife, Joseph "AGAIN" found himself being faced with an unfortunate circumstance and was placed in prison, God "AGAIN" kept him just as he did in the pit and at Potiphar's house. For every "AGAIN" that Joseph endured with a full trust in God, God "AGAIN" kept him. God "AGAIN" shielded him. God "AGAIN" gave him favor. God "AGAIN" gave him strength. God "AGAIN" saw him through. And when we find ourselves facing those heart-wrenching trials "AGAIN", God will match our "AGAIN" and shield us just like He did for Joseph, if we choose to let Him handle it and put our full trust in Him.

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If we read Joseph's story, we can see that God was Joseph's strength and shield. Not too many people could endure what Joseph endured and still be encouraged. If we were to be honest, many of us could not go through what Joseph went through and still want to talk to God, better yet acknowledge Him. Most of us would have probably given up in the pit.

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Can you imagine Joseph being pulled out of this pit perhaps thinking that he was being rescued and then he ends up being sold by his own flesh and blood? Let's be real, one of our siblings could block us from their social media profile and the entire family will fall apart as a result.

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As a child, a sibling could have lied on you and as a result, everyone got punished because of that one sibling's actions and all these years later, an argument still breaks out at every holiday gathering.

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Maybe one of your siblings owes you money and you become enraged every time you hear that they purchased something new. Yet here it is Joseph, still having the ability to keep his eyes on God and simply "TRUST" God amidst setback after setback after setback which all started due to the wickedness of his very own siblings. If Joseph's actions weren't Nobel Peace Prize worthy, I don't know what is!

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In thinking of David asking God not to judge him along with the wicked people around him and reflecting on David making a point to separate himself from the wickedness going on around him, let's consider Joseph's brother, Reuben. When the other brothers made a plot to kill Joseph, Reuben, overhearing their plans stepped in and attempted to rescue Joseph. Reuben's way of rescuing Joseph was to convince his brothers to throw Joseph into a pit instead of killing him. Reuben's intent was to mislead his brothers and later go back and rescue Joseph from the pit and take Joseph back to their father, but his attempt did not work as he planned, although it worked as God had intended.

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Reuben indeed had good intentions, but did he choose a "safe route" for himself? Reuben could have completely stood up for Joseph and tried to put a stop to it all together, but he instead "chose" to suggest the pit and because God had "chosen" Joseph, God allowed it. What Joseph's brothers did not understand was that not only was Joseph favored by their father, but he was favored by God.

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What is even more profound about this situation is the fact that while Reuben attempted to save him by throwing him into the pit, Judah had a different suggestion. Genesis 37:26-27 in part reads, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood" (NIV). There are so many revelations about Judah's role in this that we won't touch on this week, but at some point, we will further explore Judah's actions. However, it seems that no matter what the suggestion was, as long as it meant inflicting harm on Joseph, his brothers were all for it and ready to join in and make sure it happened. Joseph's brothers were nothing short of envious, evil, conniving, and hateful.

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Reuben was indeed surrounded by evil. We know that Reuben was not a stranger to bad choices as he had some trespasses of his own that he carried. We can argue that because of Reuben's own sinful deeds maybe he did not think his brothers would take heed when he tried to rebuke and stop them because they would remind him of his own "bad deeds".

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We can argue that Reuben was looking out for himself by suggesting that his brothers throw Joseph into the pit instead of trying to stop them all together because he perhaps did not want his brothers to be angry with him for going against them and siding with Joseph.

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We can argue that Reuben may have been afraid of his brothers, therefore, he chose to try to save Joseph behind their backs instead of outright speaking against them. It is interesting that Reuben always seemed to be far off from his brothers or not around when these things occurred.

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We can argue that maybe Reuben knew his brothers might have acted even more wickedly had he been upfront with them. Maybe he and Joseph would have both been killed, we don't know.

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Besides knowing about Reuben's attempt to save Joseph, we see that there was some sincerity in Reuben's attempt to save him because when he and the rest of the family find themselves in a famine and the brothers travel to Egypt to buy grain, they stand face-to-face with Joseph but don't recognize that it's him. At this point, Joseph has become ruler of Egypt. We won't go into the full details of this interaction, but during this interaction Joseph, fully aware of who his brothers were, begins to question them about their youngest brother and tells them that they must bring the youngest brother to him while one of them remains in prison in Egypt. Joseph tells them that by doing this, it would prove to him that they were not spies and their lives would be spared.

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As the brothers argued about this, they were not aware that Joseph understood their language. During this argument, Reuben scolds the brothers saying, "Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood" (Genesis 42:22, NIV). Reuben still held firm to the fact that he was against what his brothers had done to Joseph, not realizing that Joseph is the one that stood before them listening and understanding all that was being said. At this point Reuben had no reason to lie about how he felt because he did not even recognize Joseph. We see that Reuben indeed had strong feelings about what his other brothers had done. While Reuben may have felt a certain way about Joseph as well, Reuben maybe also knew what it felt like to be the "black sheep" of the family. He knew what it felt like to be looked at with shame or contempt by others. Maybe a part of him empathized with Joseph.

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We can all infer different things about Reuben's suggestion to throw Joseph into the pit, but we don't know for sure what was in Reuben's head, what his full thought process was, or if he had other intents for suggesting this. We don't know if the guilt of his own trespasses played a role in him coming to the aid of Joseph, his father's beloved son. We only know what the scriptures state. We know that Reuben attempted to stop his brothers. We know that Reuben indeed went back to the pit that his brothers threw Joseph in to try to save him, but his brothers had acted without him and took matters into their own hands. And we know that even years later, Reuben was still angered and remorseful about what they had done. More than anything, we know that despite their plans, God was in control. Regardless of Reuben's suggestion to throw Joseph in the pit or Judah's suggestion to sell him, God was going to make sure that Joseph got to Egypt when he was supposed to get there.

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Just as God heard David's cry in Psalm 28 and just as God responded and helped him, just as God brought David through, He did the same for Joseph. We don't know if Joseph pleaded with his brothers before they threw him in the pit or after they pulled him out and was about to sell him, but we indeed know that at some point he pleaded with them concerning his life. Genesis 42:21 in part reads, "We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen" (NIV). Although Joseph's brothers ignored his cries for help, God did not. And as hard as it might be to accept and as difficult as it might be to understand, it was by the pit and being sold that God chose to answer Joseph. Every time God allowed Joseph to face another trial, God was answering Joseph's cry because all of these trials were pushing Joseph closer to his calling.

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Out of twelve brothers, out of Jacob's twelve sons, if we exclude Joseph and Benjamin (who was a child when Joseph was sold) and give Reuben the benefit of the doubt concerning their plot against Joseph, consider the ill-intent that Joseph was surrounded by. All of Joseph's siblings treated him with contempt. Consider that aside from Reuben's attempt to save him and Judah's suggestion to not kill him or personally lay their hands on him, they all plotted against him. Not one other brother had any conviction about what they were plotting to do or what they did. They could care less that Joseph was their blood.

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We know that Joseph's brothers knew that their actions were wrong because there was a moment in which they thought that they were being punished for what they had done to Joseph and after standing face-to-face with him years later and discovering who he was, there were other moments in which his brothers were fearful of him because they thought that he would hold what they had done to him against them. But apart from these moments, we see how they had so willingly and eagerly got rid of him. Not one was compassionate enough or courageous enough to bring an end to their rivalry against him. Not one was willing to show Joseph love. Envy can be extremely dangerous regardless of which side of it you are on.

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Instead of fighting for him, Joseph's siblings were fighting against him although he had done no wrong toward them. Joseph's siblings joined in together to rid themselves of what they thought was a threat to them. Joseph did not repay them for the wrong they had done toward him. And one of the greatest punishments that they received was seeing that they were wrong and Joseph was right all along. It was seeing that as much as they wanted to ruin Joseph, he prospered instead. It was seeing that the same one who they refused to save had to save them. And even after realizing that his dreams manifested just as God had shown him, Joseph did not gloat or act with pride or arrogance, he simply acknowledged that it was God who allowed everything to happen. He was the youngest of them all yet a bigger and better man than any of them had grown to be at that point in time.

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Although Reuben did attempt to save Joseph, he still joined in with the other brothers and concealed their secret never revealing what they had done. Joseph's siblings did not care about the pain that their father would feel as a result of losing Joseph. They did not care how anyone else would be affected by their actions. They only cared that Joseph was favored.

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We must be careful how we partake in and allow ourselves to interact with those who attempt to destroy others. It may be easy to fall into the popular circle and go along with evildoers in order to preserve ourselves, but this is when it is imperative that we go to God like David did and ask God to protect us and handle the evil ones that prey amongst us. It is sometimes easy to fight "fire" with "fire", but we must remember that at many times in our lives God allowed the fire to be started for a reason therefore, we must allow Him to be the one to put it out.

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God Our Strength and Shield

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Let's really reflect on the following passages (making note of the highlighted verses):

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"The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned."

                                                                                                                                                                     -Genesis 39:2-4 (NIV)

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"But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did."

                                                                                                                                                                   -Genesis 39:20-23 (NIV)

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"Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

                                                                                                                                                                   -Genesis 41:39-40 (NIV)

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We see that God's hands NEVER LEFT JOSEPH'S SIDE. Those whom Joseph was in service to may not have been paying attention to the things that they were putting Joseph in charge of because they knew that God would give him success, but God was most definitely paying attention to Joseph. And God rewarded not just Joseph's actions but his reactions as well.

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We know that Joseph's trust and full dependency was in God. Joseph had no doubt that God would answer him. In Genesis 41, when Joseph found himself being called to interpret a dream for Pharaoh, his response to Pharaoh's request was," I cannot do it,'…'but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires" (v.16, NIV). In an attempt to glorify and bring attention to himself, Joseph could have taken the credit and interpreted the dream for Pharaoh without any recognition or reverence for God, which many people might have possibly done, seeing it as a favor to the ruler that could possibly buy them their way out. But Joseph MADE SURE to make it known that he himself could not do it, but GOD COULD! Joseph at no point tried to devise his own plan to get himself out of the situations that he found himself in. Joseph simply operated in the favor that God had placed upon him. He simply trusted God's plan.​ Joseph stating this also shows that he had no doubt that God would answer him. Joseph did not say, "Tell me your dream and maybe God will reveal it to me." He did not say, "Tell me your dream and perhaps God will make it known." Joseph said, "God will give [you] the answer [you] desire."

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Joseph had a firm belief that God would work through him. Joseph did not allow his circumstances to hinder his ability to be used by God. Joseph knew that God was with him and he allowed God to use him however God saw fit. The people around Joseph may not have served his God but God used Joseph in a way that caused even those who worshipped other gods to believe in the power and assurance of the God of Israel. Wherever Jospeh went, he was successful and they attributed this not to their gods but to Joseph's God. They knew that God's hands were on Joseph, and for this reason, THEY FULLY TRUSTED HIM! They trusted Joseph because they understood that Joseph's help came from God whose track record had proven to be beneficial for everyone that Joseph came into contact with.

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If we were to reflect on Joseph's ability to place his trust in God, it did not just give him strength but that strength that God gave Joseph also acted as a shield. How so? If Joseph did not place his trust in God and allow God to strengthen him, he would not have been able to endure what he was facing. Without Joseph's ability to allow God to strengthen him, no matter how much favor God was giving him, he would not have been able to recognize it or accept it because he would have been too burdened to look past his pain. And had he not been able to look past his pain, he would not have been able to recognize that God was at work and accept God's plan for his life. He would not have been able to be a good worker for Potiphar or for the prison warden. Joseph's shield rested in his being able to acknowledge that God was in control and to fall in line as such.

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You might be able to look over your own life and recall a time in which you faced an unfortunate circumstance. Maybe you lost your job, didn't get the promotion that you wanted, didn't get accepted into the school that you thought you would, never got that proposal from that person that you loved oh' so much, lost the bid for that contract that you worked so hard on, did not get selected to lead the auxiliary you've been faithfully contributing your time and efforts to, or maybe your offer for that house was not accepted, but in the midst of it, God opened another door or presented you with a better opportunity, but because you were so stuck on what did not happen for you, you felt like everything was happening to you, therefore, you could not see what was happening right in front of you.

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God was giving you favor, opening doors, blessing you in ways you did not ask, but you were blinded by the previous disappointment so much so that you destroyed all the other good things that God was trying to do for you. And because you interfered with what God was trying to do, you found yourself going through a "HERE WE GO AGAIN" moment but not because God was inflicting it on you, but because you were inflicting it upon yourself because your disappointment caused you to lose your trust in God which left you without ANY STRENGTH to deal with the very thing that He was allowing to happen to you so that He could handle it and fight for you. God was trying to be your strength, but you were too busy throwing a pity party for yourself contributing to your weakness.

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Have You Tried God?

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Joseph understood who God was. Before Joseph interpreted a dream for Pharaoh, he first interpreted dreams for Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker who Joseph met while in prison. In realizing that they appeared sad and disappointed, Joseph asked them what was troubling them. They explained to Joseph that they both had dreams but had no one to interpret what their dreams meant. Without hesitation or as much as a second thought, Joseph's response to them was, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams" (Genesis 40:8, NIV). It was as if Joseph was telling them, "Why are you stressing when God can help you?" Joseph was reminding them that although they did not have the answers, God did.

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We try everything and depend on everybody else to make things right for us, to give us clarity, to guide us, but how often do we simply "Try God?" And not try him as in "testing Him" but try Him as in making Him our option. We try fixing it ourselves. We try the advice of our friends. We try the recommendation of an expert. But at what point do we try GIVING IT TO GOD and let Him work it out? If we want God's STRENGTH, if we want Him to be OUR SHIELD, we must be willing to relinquish it all to Him and trust that He knows what to do with it.

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Your Story!

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We have spent this time discussing Joseph and how he was able to keep a firm faith in God regardless of what he faced but what about you? What's your story? What is it that you need God to give you the strength to do or overcome? What is it that you need God to shield and protect you from? What is it that those around you are doing that you don't want to be a part of but see no way out? What are you trying to let God fight for you but the blows from the attack have you one step from lashing out against your enemies?

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There are some things that we might face in life that will make us feel stuck, like we have no choice but to give in to what's going on around us. However, God is always there and ready to help if we allow Him to. Tell God what you're standing against. Cry out and tell Him what's going on around you. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (NIV). If you want a way out, God will help you. He will deliver you from your foes. He will create a way out for you, but you must let Him in. God is not going to bully His way into your life. He wants the invitation. You must follow what it is God is leading you to do. Most importantly recognize that God's way out for you may not make sense to you. God's way out for you may not comfort you in the way you want to be comforted. God's way out for you, may not be what makes you happy. BUT TRUST HIM ANYWAY! And remember this ever so important prayer found in Matthew 6:9:13 (KJV)-also known as The Lord's Prayer:

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Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

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When you don't know what else to do or what else to say, use this prayer. You can use The Lord's Prayer as well as Psalm 28 whenever faced with those challenges in which you feel like you need God's guidance. Use this prayer when you are trying to steer from temptations. Use this prayer to ask God to deliver you from any evil that tries to come against you or that already surrounds you. Use this prayer when you need God to provide. The Lord's Prayer covers all our needs and addresses all of our concerns. But this prayer is also rooted in letting God take control. When we give it to Him, we have to trust Him and

let it go!