“You Are My People”

“I will say, ‘They are My people’…” Zechariah 13:9

 

           During the Civil War a Union soldier from Ohio was shot in the arm. His captain saw he was wounded and barked out an order, “Give me your gun, Private, and get to the rear!” The private handed over his rifle and ran toward the north, seeking safety. But after going only about two or three hundred yards, he came to another skirmish. So, he ran to the east and found himself in another part of the battle. Then he ran west but encountered more fighting there. Finally, he ran back to the front lines shouting, “Gimme back my rifle, Cap’n, there ain’t no rear to the battle nowhere!”

Trials, difficulties, challenges—when it comes to the troubles of the world, life is unfair and “there ain’t no rear to this battle nowhere!” As much as we would like to sometimes, we just can’t run away and hide. The word that comes to mind is “crucible.” Mirriam-Webster define crucible as a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development. God uses the crucible throughout the course of our journey to test, or purify, cleanse, and purge our lives of impurities, and all the while reveal the amazing presence of His love.

Wade in with me to a couple of powerful Old Testament examples: First, Malachi 3:3 where the prophet identifies God as our purifier—He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that the may present to the LORD offerings of righteousness. Obviously in context, the sons of Levi are the priesthood responsible for being a mediary between God and the people. In the larger sense for us as modern-day Christ-followers, we now act as priests (because of the work Jesus did on the cross). Thus, we can apply the principle that Malichi describes—God the purifier is using the crucible of fire to enable us to think and act in righteousness. It is a fundamental character quality of our spiritual personhood, one that God thinks so highly of that He personally takes charge at forging it in our lives. Pretty cool.

Second, let us go back a couple pages in our Bibles and look at Zechariah 13:9—And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. The will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say “They are My people,” and they will say, “The LORD is my God.” There is way more here than space allows us to explore. The thing I want for us to connect with is the statement made by God and the response of the people—“they are My people” and “The LORD is my God..” Inherent in these is the deep relational attachment that God and His people share. My own conviction is that God is using the crucible to draw me closer to His heart, removing the barriers that prevent me from experiencing Him in ever-increasing closeness. What comes to mind is a small child leaning on the chest of mother or father and finding peace at listening to their heartbeat. Imagine hearing God’s heartbeat! That is what the Lord is doing when “there ain’t no rear to the battle nowhere.”

Jesus wants you to be “His people.” And He works tirelessly through events, circumstances, challenges and victories to influence the change and development you need to become that person. If you feel you are in the crucible today, take a moment and sit before the Lord with you hands open (palms up) and ask “Jesus, what do you wish to give me today? What can I receive form you?” And then listen for His reply. I’ve begun practicing this more and more and finding a depth of joy in the journey that I simply cannot any other way. Give it a try and see what the Lord will do with it.

 

 

Blessings on the Journey, Pastor Dewayne