Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.  Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.  Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.  Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."...Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.  My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like you, O Lord?  You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them." 

Psalm 35:1-3, 9, 10

 

The notes in my Bible comment on the word "poor" in the preceding psalm:  Here, as often in the Psalms, "poor" characterizes not necessarily one who has no possessions, but one who is (and recognizes that he is) without resources  to effect his own deliverance (or secure his own life, safety or well-being) -- and so is dependent on God.

 

We are feeling without resources to effect our own deliverance, in other words, poor.  Destitute.  SITAG is experiencing attack after attack.  Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual attacks.  During the last couple of weeks alone, our tiny SITAG family has been bombarded with toothaches, ear infections, malaria, canceled ships, a stomach virus, and a knee injury that resulted in a flight to Australia.  I'm reminded that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  (Eph. 6:12)  The enemy loves to trick us into thinking that our enemy is really our neighbor or our spouse or our child or our sickness or our circumstances.  As my dear friend, Ann, reminded me, "On the one hand, that means you are threatening the enemy on the front lines, and he doesn't like it. On the other hand, though, battle is exhausting and debilitating."

 

I covet prayers for our family and for our colleagues.  SITAG's Conference begins two weeks from tonight.  We're putting on our armor, getting in the trenches, and standing firm with the help of prayers that circle the globe.