Black Hawk Down is a very popular book (and movie) that talks about a military operation by American soldiers in Mogadishu. On a raid into the city, the seemingly invincible Black Hawk helicopters and their crews became the victims of ground fire from street fighters in Mogadishu. The American soldiers found themselves in a totally unexpected and lengthy ground battle with hostile forces in strange and dangerous, village terrain.

    The American forces were the best-trained, best-equipped soldiers modern technology could produce. They were outfitted with the latest, lightest, most effective body armor possible. All the soldiers wore the assigned armor, but thinking the operation would only take a few minutes, many of the soldiers left out some of the armor inserts. As a result, some soldiers died because key parts of their bodies were unprotected. They did not have the whole armor system designed to give maximum physical protection. These brave soldiers certainly would not run, nor could they see a clear way to defeat the enemy. Most of all, they were committed to leave no man behind. They had to STAND until a way was found to complete the mission and then return to base.

    Sometimes a little word jumps out from the text of Scripture! Take a look at Ephesians chapter six. In verses 11, 13, and again in verse 14, the word STAND is used in the context of the Christian’s armor. You may have read this passage all your life and never noticed the importance of that little word. We are told to put on the whole armor of God in our fight for good against evil. But what are we to do once we have it on? We are to put it on so we can STAND our ground no matter what the Enemy throws our way.

    Some days our faith feels strong. Some days the words of Scripture almost shine with deep meaning; a simple and familiar verse sinks into our hearts as never before. Our prayers seem to reach the heavens instantly, and temptation feels far away. We put on our Christian armor and decide to engage the Enemy. We stride into life saying, “Bring it on!” We feel invincible. And sometimes we defeat the Enemy. However, there are the other times. We fall so quickly in the face of the enemy’s attack. We suddenly realize that we have left out part of our armor. Our first instinct is to run! Vulnerable and exposed, the last thing we want to do is STAND!

    Other days are more typical for many of us. We feel spiritually weak. We are discouraged. Our spiritual resources seem to be fully depleted. Like some of the American soldiers in Mogadishu, we may not have our “whole armor.” In times like this, we may want to cut and run — run from problems in our relationships, run from troubles on the job, run from commitment to others, run from responsibility... Feeling weak and disadvantaged, the last thing we want to do is STAND.

    WE WANT TO RUN FROM THE VERY THINGS GOD WANTS US TO FACE. To STAND and face the battle requires us to trust and rely on God. To STAND and endure the struggle requires us to persevere when running seems an easier and simpler solution.

To STAND and endure the struggle requires us to persevere when running seems an easier and simpler solution.

    Our society helps us run. Our culture offers instant everything — if it doesn’t work instantly, RUN to something or somewhere else. It offers cheap and quick fixes for everything in life — from our sex life to car maintenance, from weight loss to baldness! We are encouraged to run to the newest way to personal fulfillment. So in the face of long haul challenges, we want to run!

    What does God want us to do in our armor? God wants us to hear that one little word: STAND. You see, we don’t have to engage the Enemy, because the Enemy will engage us. We will be challenged everyday to respond to the tricks and deceit of the Enemy. So God asks us to STAND and fight the battles. We are to STAND and not RUN. We can STAND equipped with God’s whole armor. If you stop and think about it, armor is not the best thing to wear for running anyway. In order to really run, you need to take off some of that armor. I don’t want to do that, do you?

    So in the face of your challenges, please hear that one little word — STAND.

    So in the face of your desire to run when things are tough, please hear that one little word — STAND.

    Even if you feel alone and abandoned and confused, please hear that one little word — STAND.

    Why? Because if we trust God’s promises, we can be sure that no matter what the appearances, we are not standing alone!

 

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©2002, Cary Branscum. Used by permission.

Title: "Stand!"
Author: Cary Branscum
Publication Date: October 24, 2002