A few years back I landed at OR THAMBO, coming back from a trip to Abu Dhabi. I stepped back into reality when an African voice announced: “Please do not leave your valuables unattended. Keep them with you at all times.” I turned into hawk-eye mode instantly. Coming home from a city where you use your camera to keep a spot at the food court in the busy mall, I almost got back onto a plane. Yes, my luggage was bubble wrapped on my return flight, but mostly to keep it from falling apart.
Safety is not the only reason for plastic-wrapping your luggage, it also serves as extra protection. It’s a great deterrent against baggage theft, especially when you realize that thieves don’t steal bags as much as they take individual items of value from bags. A fully-wrapped bag is often too much trouble for them. Some of those bag-wrapping companies also offer tracking stickers along with the plastic wrap.
If we would just give as much attention to our hearts and our souls as we do with our luggage, our focus will shift from the baggage of our past (or present) circumstances, and we will cling to Jesus. The same applies to the ‘food’ we feed ourselves. I have read the information on the box of cling wrap in my kitchen:
“Stretches to seal, protect & keep your food at its best”
“Extends freshness by keeping air out”
We are sealed by His blood, but we should stretch our faith to keep our hearts at its best. Wrapped in His love our faith will stay fresh and our hearts will be protected from all the polluting factors trying its way into our souls.
When I hang by a thread, will I cling to a rope of hope? Did you know that the word HOPE, literally means ROPE, or CORD? Psalm 91 is used almost all the time as a prayer for protection. In verse 2 we read: “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
· Refuge means “a place of hope.”
· Fortress means “a net.”
· Trust means “to set one’s hope and confidence upon anyone.”
Declare this verse out loud. The Lord is our place of hope, a net to catch us, someone to place our hope in. When we face troubles, when we don’t experience His promises, wait on the Lord. With Him, a promise is a promise. He is a Promise Keeper, watching over His Word to fulfil it.
“Faith motivated Abraham to obey God’s call and leave the familiar to discover the territory he was destined to inherit from God. So he left with only a promise and without even knowing ahead of time where he was going, Abraham stepped out in faith. His eyes of faith were set on the city with unshakable foundations, whose architect and builder is God himself.” (Hebrews 11:8, 10 TPT)
Abraham was motivated by faith and his eyes were set on Zion. In Genesis 12, God made a promise that He would bless Abraham and that through him, all people on earth would be blessed. Abraham held onto this promise and followed God into the unknown. There’s no doubt that there were days when nothing made sense and the promises of God seemed far-fetched and insane to him. But through all the obstacles and uncertainties, doubts and fears, Abraham was faithful because he had confidence, hope and assurance that God would do what He said He would do.
Hebrews 11:1: “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Faith is confidence. Faith is assurance. When the very promise of God doesn’t make sense to us, we have the choice to grab onto God’s miracle power and cling His faithfulness. We can have confidence because God is faithful. You might have obstacles or overwhelming situations staring you down, but you can find rest in His faithfulness shown through every generation.
“These heroes all died still clinging to their faith, not even receiving all that had been promised them. But they saw beyond the horizon the fulfilment of their promises and gladly embraced it from afar. They all lived their lives on earth as those who belonged to another realm.” (Hebrews 11:13 TPT)
Many of the men and women of faith who we read about in the Bible lived their lives clinging to a promise. Miracles took place, dead were raised to life, battles were won and God provided in mysterious ways. Many of us are traveling a path you never thought you’d have to take, and we’re out on a limb. Our lives may feel unsafe, uncertain, and unstable.
How can you maintain your devotion to God when you feel you are NOT experiencing victory?
Although the enemies we face today are not those that Joshua and the people of Israel encountered, the strategy for confronting them remains the same. Joshua's counsel in Joshua 23:6-11 can be very helpful:
Give attention to God's Word (v. 6) - Joshua is talking about "keeping" and "doing" God's Word. We must be "strong" to keep it and do it and not deviate from it either to the right or to the left.
Avoid pagan influence (v. 7) - The way one avoids being shaped after the image of pagan society is precisely by keeping and doing God's Word. There will always be a temptation to think the world has it better than we do (Ex. 23:13). But if you have Scripture on your lips and the praise of God's name in your mouth, you won't have room or time for even so much as acknowledging anything else.
Attach yourself to God (v. 8) - The word "cling" in this verse is translated "hold fast" or "cleave" in Genesis 2:24. To "cling" to God is to stay so close to him that no sin can get between you and him. To "cling" to God is to strategically plan for time alone with him for prayer and praise and the study of his Word. To "cling" to God is to trust in his promises, to seek his favor, to care only for his approval and not for that of men, to invest time in his service, and to always keep his praise on your lips (Ps. 63:7-8).
Cultivate a deep affection for God in every way (verses 9-11) - The emphasis is on a relationship of intimacy: "I am yours and you are mine!"
Pause for a moment. Is your faith dependent on seeing the promise fulfilled in your life, the way YOU expect it to be done? This is a struggle for many, and it doesn’t make you a bad person or mean that your faith is worthless. Depending on others to be your bubble wrap or cling wrap is risky business. While encountering persecution, have faith that God is on the move. He is up to something. Sometimes we might not know how God is going to fulfil the promise, but we can cling to it with great confidence, knowing that He will!
If you want to know what God is doing in your life, observe what the enemy is attempting; God is always doing the opposite:
The enemy shouts, “You’re in danger!” God whispers, “You’re safe.”
Satan taunts, “You’re sinking!” God says, “I’ve got you.”
The devil jeers, “There’s no security!” God reassures us, “You can depend on me.”
How do we respond when we face what the world calls a precarious situation? Do we wring our hands or lift them? Do we get anxious or anticipate His help? Do we speak words of death or words of life?
The good news is that a born-again believer doesn’t need a tracking number. We have a cord – an umbilical cord to the Safe Keeper. Allow Jesus to wrap Himself around your heart and soul!
At the end of our rope, His love gives us HOPE.
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