An Unlikely Soldier

From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise

because of Your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

Psalm 8:2 ESV

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible! What a precious promise! What an amazing description of what goes on even when we are unaware! God often uses the weak things of this world to confound the wise...

This season of my life has been one of the most difficult I've ever endured. Some days I tell my God that I have great big problems. Others I am able to tell my problems I have a great, big God! As I found a seat in church, my problems seemed huge, my heart was heavy and it was all I could do to slide into one of the back pews hoping not to draw attention to myself. I needed to find a place where no eyes were on me and I could be alone with my God. I was feeling alone and unloved - even unlovable and that's all I could see.

As the worship team started to sing, there was a little boy behind me - with not so little a voice. He was singing every word out loud and strong. It was beautiful! When we sang the second song, a newer song, his voice never faltered and he knew all of the words. I thought about how much it blessed me to hear him voice his praise. I considered how it must bless the Lord and felt the need to tell this little boy so. I paused to check in with the Lord and see if I could presume to speak for Him. Confident that I had His blessing, I turned and told this little one how pleased Jesus was with his praises.

When I sat down, the words of Psalm 8:2 rang through my head. God had ordained praise from this young worshipper. The Lord had invested holy orders in Connor that morning. Why? Because He knew where I'd sit and He knew that I had lost the power to fight. Enemies of doubt, fear and self-pity weren't just my enemies. Psalm 8:2 says that my enemies are His and He was enlisting a tiny, but mighty, soldier to join Him in battle for me!

All of the sudden, the battle was over. The foe and the avenger were silenced. Silenced. Not just quieted. I wept. God loved me. He confirmed that love for me by reaching down from on high and taking hold of me. What a loving rescue by an Almighty God!

I visited for a moment with the mother of the boy. She shared how they had been teaching their son that morning how God wants us all to pay attention in church and bring our songs of praise before Him. Connor had taken this teaching to heart and Jesus wanted him to know that He noticed and was well-pleased.

Our God loves us and He cares. He cares about our troubles. He cares about our teaching. He cares about our little ones and He even cares about where we sit in church! He is all about our details - big and small.

The LORD is a warrior; Yahweh is His name.

Exodus 15:3 HCSB

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.

Psalm 18:16-17 NIV

... and that morning, He used the tiny heart and the great big voice of an unlikely soldier! Thank You, LORD!

To read about the first time that the LORD enlisted a tiny warrior for me, see http://praiseworthytales.blogspot.ca/2009/02/power-of-praise.html