Thou mighty man of valour

Greetings to all our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. It is indeed a great joy to be with you on the dawn of the yet another  month . Let us praise and glorify God for His kindness to be with us , guide us and carry us all through the four months  of the year. The month of May brings enormous joy to the children and youth  as they get their annual leave and away from the rigorous routine  of going to school / college, rush hour traffic, home work and exams and tuition…… And how much the children enjoy the adventure trips during the holidays, ever remain as pleasant memories of childhood. And Father is the greatest  hero of the children. The very presence or label of their “father”  gives them enormous confidence. For my son and daughter, during their childhood,  I  was the real hero,  six pack strong man, capable of defending them in any danger and capable of fighting any living soul ! This despite myself being of average height and lean and apparently doesn’t look like a strong man of our times. Both my children used to say “ Appa Maadhiri”… (like father) on many occasions and I used to admonish them to look into stronger  Bible characters as their role model and strength. I sincerely do not know whether my children think of me as their “macho Hero” today in their late twenties, but I am sure that they would have rightly seen past the “father” and adopted to this world ! Even though their love for me has only increased over the years. In counter, I used to train them to be physically and mentally fit to take on any situation by rendering them to go through routine exercises and enable them to be self confident to achieve on their own. I always used to call them “achievers” and “heroes” despite the shy smile on their faces….Their spiritual growth and maturity was taken care of  their mother and grand parents. Life has come a full circle for them and both grown into facing the chaos of life on their with a positive outlook.

Recently I was recollecting as to how much my son and daughter adored me as “the strongest” in their childhood, I was smiling realizing how much ordinary person was I am, fearful (of course internally without expressing) and shy ….But as my children and I saw each other as “the strongest” , there was an young man, fearful of their enemies and hiding in the winepress,  an unusual place to thresh wheat. It was the time when the Israelites after reaching their promised land, abandoned their God and went astray…The midianites who would come as a storm, take away all their farm produce and animal wealth. But suddenly Gideon saw the Angel of the Lord appearing  to him and saiy“ The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour !  I understand and appreciate very well as to how Gideon must have felt uncomfortable at this title , for a man  hiding  in fear of his enemies !  He probably thought it was some neighbor who has come making this remark. But he chose to address him as “ my Lord” and responded saying if the Lord is with them, then why are they subdued before the Midianites ? Then the Angel of the Lord told him that he (Gideon) is the chosen one to defat the midianites and save Israel. Gideon is at the bottom of his wits :  “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel ?   behold,  my  family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house “ (Judges 6:15). However, reassured by the Angel, Gideon asks for a sign. But when fire rose out of the rock and consumed the food offering, he again went into a depression of fear that “Alas it is the Lord” as no one lives after seeing the Holy God. The Lord said unto him “ Peace be unto thee; fear not; thou shall not die”. (Judges 6:23). When Gideon has seen the Lord of hosts, anointing him as a mighty warrior, strangely Gideon names the place  as “ Jehovah Shalom” (Our Lord of peace). Rest is history as to how with a small troupe of untrained men blowing  trumpets with  lamp lit pitchers in their hands they won the midianite’s army who came as a great storm of locusts!    The Lord of hosts is also The Lord of peace. He makes them (His sheep) lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23 :2) . It is stated : “The country was in quietness for next forty years during the days of Gideon”. (Judges 8:28).

The same Lord chose the young  and cherubic and beautiful shepherd David to be the King,  ignoring the other fighters and warriors in the family. And David, ran before the mighty man of war “Goliath” the giant saying : “ Thou comes to me with a sword, and with a  spear, and with a  shield; but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of armies of Israel , whom thou has defiled” (I Samuel 17: 45). It is written : “ So David prevailed over the Philisitine with a sling and with a  stone and smote the Philistine and slew him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ( I Samuel 17:50).

My dear brother and sister, even today, the same Lord of hosts calls you “Thou mighty man / woman of valour” to be end time warriors for Him. Are we  listening to the Master’s voice or still  hiding from the enemy ?

   Joshua, the son of nun, who stopped the Sun and moon and ”time”  is referred  as the servant of Moses in the book of  Exodus Chapter  33 : 11 .  Later  The Lord  speaks to him saying:”  Have I not commanded thee ? Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:9) anointing him as the leader and commander in the line of Moses. The epitaph in the last chapter of the Book of Joshua says : “ And it came to pass after these things , that Joshua the son of Nun , “the servant of the Lord”  died being an hundred and ten years old. ( Joshua 24: 29). What an elevation for the humble and faithful person who started as the servant of Moses !

Thou mighty son / daughter of valour : fear not, the Lord is with you. The Lord of hosts says:’” Have I not commanded thee ?”

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