Shock and Awe

All too familiar.

Familiar with pain.

Familiar with loss.

Familiar with despair.

Familiar with strife.

Familiar with brokenness.

There upon the field of brokenness, strewn across the landscape, the dead, the dying, the defeated, the bruised the battered, the broken jars, the fallen swords, the embers of the flame.

What is it that you see?

What is it that you feel?

I feel their pain, their anguish, their loss, the brokenness of their hope, the loss of hope.

Yet I see victory, I see the evidence of victory.

For you missed the moment, let me replay it for you.

The sword of the Lord…..

The sound of the broken jar…

The torch raised high across the land.

The arm raised in triumph.

For you see the blood splattered across your body, you saw those mighty warriors coming wave, after wave against you, you braved yourself for defeat, for death, for the coming of the end, the end has come for you.

You heard their cry, their pain, the sound of the cutting, the sound of the cutting, the sound of the cutting.

The dismemberment of the members, the dissembling of those assembled, the tearing apart of the torn, the breaking that brings forth your breakthrough.

For I have defeated, defeat…

For I have opposed your opposition.

For I have inflicted much pain on your pain.

Shock and awe.

Feel the shock and awe.

You feel the shock and awe.

Your body shakes with shock and awe.

For the violent shall take it by force.

For what is it you see?

For I have given you victory in the very place of defeat.

Look around you, look again, have a closer look.

It is your enemy that lies at your feet.

For it was foretold long ago.

As you entered the place, I brought to your memory, from the one who carries your armour, the vision of their defeat.

For the enemy lies at your feet, gasping for air, writhing in pain, for it was a fatal blow, fear not, for he grasps hold of your foot one last time. Yet he has breathed his last.

I have defeated, defeat…

I have buried death….

I have closed the door in their face. Slammed shut, unable to be opened again.

Let’s have a Selah moment. Pause and think calmly upon this…

The sifting, the pruning back, until only the few remained.

They were chosen for their clarity, and their ability to follow the right pattern, the looking and then the drinking.

Their ability to fight had no bearing, only their ability to stand, to hold their ground, to stand firm.

Judges 7:4-7 And the Lord said to Gideon, The men are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. And he of whom I say to you, This man shall go with you, shall go with you; and he of whom I say to you, This man shall not go with you, shall not go. So he brought the men down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, Everyone who laps up the water with his tongue as a dog laps it, you shall set by himself, likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink. And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon, With the 300 men who lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others return every man to his home.

For you have no need to fight this battle, just hold your hand up.

Seriously just lift up your hand.

Speak all that I have commanded you to say.

Speak to your pain, speak to your opponent, speak to your ground.

Jeremiah 1:7-10 But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid of them their faces, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.

By the sword of the Lord and of …..

For you shall become familiar with Victory, awe and wonder is your birthright.

You were born for such a time as this…

What will they say about you….

“For he is like a one man army, even though a thousand came against him, he was not overcome, he overcame.”

Those that can see what I see, that you have not seen for a long time, still remind you of the story….

“I still remember”, they say, “I can’t get this image out of my head, a picture of your hand melded with the sword”

For I have called you legion. The one possessed by the power of a thousand.

For you shall cast out, you shall overthrow, you shall overthrow, you shall oppose that which I am opposed to.

More than withstand, for I stand with, I stand with you.

They come for you, and yet they come to their place of defeat, you shall not need to go to them, for I shall bring your victory to you.

1 Chronicles 11:12-14 Next to him in rank was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. He was with David at Pas-dammim where David had long before slain Goliath, and there the Philistines were gathered for battle, where there was a plot of ground full of barley or lentils; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines. And Eleazar one of the Three stood in the midst of that plot and defended it and slew the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand cleaved to the sword, and the Lord saved by a great victory and deliverance.

You feel it now don’t you?

It was unexpected.

You raised your weak arm, the one which you barely use. The one you hesitate to lift in worship for it carries much power.

You saw what happened, you felt my power.

The multitudes running, in a great panic, with great alarm, saying “fallback, fallback, we are overcome”