Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
   Ephesians 6:10-18

Many times we feel like we have a lot of things coming at us in life. For many people this transitional time of the year between summer and fall is such a time. We may face changes at work, preparations for a new season, surgical procedures and illnesses, leaving the vacation season behind, or getting ready for school. Many things may seem to be coming at us all at one time.

These times may not necessarily feel like the "wiles of the devil," as the author of Ephesians puts it, but they certainly feel like forces beyond our control. We may feel overwhelmed, we may feel we have too much to handle. And when we feel things spinning out of control, the "flaming arrows of the evil one" seem to penetrate deeper into our souls.

This text from Ephesians tells us how God provides for us in these times, or in any times when we feel overwhelmed with forces beyond our control. But truth be known, the militaristic language of this text has made Sonja and me feel uncomfortable in the past (armor and swords and shields just aren't part of our language that we normally associate with faith). Thankfully, we heard this text with new ears at a recent Bible study, noticing something special about the "armor of God."

Notice that almost everything we are to arm ourselves with against those forces that may throw us out of control or turn us away from God is defensive. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes with which to proclaim peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. God provides us with all that is needed to defend ourselves from whatever the evil one may hurl at us...and we all need that kind of defense! Notice there is only one item in the armor of God that can be considered an offensive weapon Ð "The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." The only offense against the many forces of evil is the Word of God, which gives us truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation.

This whole armor of God gives us all we need to remain strong in our God-given faith and in the truth of our identities as children of God! It gives us the strength to pray and keep alert at all times. It is only by being grounded in Word and prayer that we are given the courage to order our lives as God's children, so that we cannot be overwhelmed by whatever may be thrown at us.

Gracious God, you are our strength. Through the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ you have already overcome all the forces of evil. Give us the courage to take up the whole armor of every good gift you have given, that we may withstand every evil, every temptation, every distraction that is thrown at us in our days, that we may be bold witnesses to your love. Amen

Contributed by Pastor Joel and Pastor Sonja
Sunday August 27, 2006
Liturgical Year B Week 40