nations in the land

This morning, I completed reading Day 17 of the Bible in 90 Days, and I was struck by Judges 3:1-2:

The LORD left certain nations in the land to test those Israelites who had not participated in the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. (Judges 3:1-2, NLT)

I felt like the Lord was telling me (reminding me) that there are "certain nations" in my life that were left there by God so He could teach me the art of [spiritual] warfare. Okay, the truth? I’m not crazy about warfare. I don’t much care for battles and confrontations. I would much rather be w-a-a-a-a-y in the back of the army, maybe working as a cook or a water carrier. And God knows (and I have often told Him) that I get weary of the warfare. I’m ready to move in and occupy the promised land in peace.

So here I am, back at a truth I learned long ago and have used in more than one of my novels: Nothing enters my life that isn’t caused or allowed by God, nothing happens in my life that isn’t first filtered through His loving hands. He causes or allows it to chip away another flaw, to continue to make me more like Christ. Like thousands and thousands of believers before me, I can say that I am not yet what I want to be, but thank God, I am no longer what I used to be. I can press on toward the goal.

So I’m showing up this morning, wearing the armor of God and wielding the sword of the Spirit, to get a little more battle experience.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin