I grew up watching Chuck Norris roundhouse kick every bad guy that ever came into Texas in Walker, Texas Ranger. He rescued children from parents who had kidnapped them after losing custody. He rescued his beauty, Alex Cahill, from multiple people who had hoped taking her hostage would protect them from the coming wrath of Walker. And, I saw him protect towns of people as cowboy gangs would try to come in and take over. I always wanted to grow up to be someone capable of protecting the people that were around me.
I wanted to do whatever it took to train to be the hero of the story. I never really knew where to start, so although I grew in desire to be the tough guy that could rescue those in distress, I never trained that desire to physically become the hero. I could have maybe tried karate lessons, or something similar, but I think God knew how much I'd be humbled now if I didn't become that guy then.
In Psalm 18:30-36, King David writes "The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way."
I may not have gone into a specific training regimen to become the guardian tough guy, but I did push myself to excel in areas of physical competition. Soccer, basketball, football, speed, strength, agility, etc. I wanted to become unstoppable by any earthly competitor. Well... I'm clearly not. My body feels weak and frail most of the time now, constantly reminding me that I'm on the downhill side of my attempts to be a tough guy. David's realization shared in Psalm 18 keeps my hopes of being the hero still alive, although not anymore through any power that I'm able to obtain.
I may not ever need to be the tough guy. I pray that I'll never have to rescue my beauty, or my children from harm, but I know that if I do, God is my Rock. I know that when I need to be equipped for something God has called me into, He has the power to equip me, whether it's a physical task or something different. David may have been talking about going into battle, but based on what we can read elsewhere in Scripture, God would have prepared him equally if he were going into a math final, a house sale, a professional licensure, or any task that we seek His help on today.
God provided David with everything he needed to take on his enemy. The first was a defense! Defense wins championships. A shield in battle could be used to protect from any attacks, and a great shield could be used to protect from attacks until the opponent became tired and weak. David noted that he was also equipped with strength, quick feet, a good view, agility, and a Teammate for when it was time to be on the offensive side of the field. He wasn't in this battle alone, but knew that going forward, God was going to be with him every step he took.
Don't go through today thinking that you need to master this task, or obtain some skill in order to be used my God. If God wants to use you somewhere, He's going to provide you with everything that you need... He designed it.
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