Cold-Hearted Snake
Genesis 15:1(NASB) After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great."
When I was a young boy, I loved to pretend I was a great warrior that could save the world by myself, sort of like Rambo. I would get a green Army sack, toss it over my arm, and head off to fight the great battles, which I always won. I never left home without my trusty rifle (which was actually one of my mom's wooden twirling rifles, but it looked real). When I would go out on these great adventures, I would kill countless numbers of the enemy, save the prisoners, and be the hero.
A particularly memorable battle occurred one sunny, autumn day. I was slowly creeping through the jungle (the fields behind my house). As I crept, I massacred the enemy horde I was assaulting. I advanced on their encampment and was steadily making my way down the trail, when there, at the bend, I saw an unfamiliar foe. A foe so terrifying, that I ran.
I ran screaming like a banshee. Between my panting and screaming, I could hear my foe chasing me, rustling the leaves behind me as it was relentlessly pursuing me. I broke from the field to see my father working in the yard. I screamed to warn him, "SNAKE! SNAKE! It's chasing me!" Seeing my panic, he panicked also, and darted to the back deck, where we both hopped to safety. Then we looked for the snake...
There was no snake. I explained to him that I thought I saw a "racer," which is a really fast snake in Ohio, and it has been known to chase its prey. And I was sure that the racer had chased me all the way home. But we could not find it. The terrifying foe that had defeated this great warrior, was nowhere to be found.
And I came to the realization that my foe wasn't the snake, but my true foe was my overwhelming fear. My fear of the snake caused me to run all the way home afraid, not the "racer" (which I later figured out was a harmless garter snake).
In the Bible, God promises to shield us. Does that mean if the snake would have tried to bite me that God would have stopped it? He could, but I doubt it in this case. It means that God will protect our minds so we can remain focused and calm, and to not be paralyzed by our fears. He will shield us from the true damage of our fears, apathy. What fears have you let paralyze you? What fears have you let control who you are, and who you can become?
Pastor Cyle Young
Grace Chapel
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