When God Says “Go Back”
Adapted from Beginning Your Day God’s Way
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Have you ever noticed that the armor of God detailed in Ephesians 6 doesn’t include anything that covers your back? It includes the sword, the helmet, the breastplate, the belt, the shoes, and the shield. Nowhere on that list is anything to protect your back, because God never intended for us to run away! He has anointed you to go through hard times, when needed.
In Genesis 16, a pregnant Hagar wanted to run away when Sarai began to mistreat her, but an angel of the Lord found her and told her to go back and submit to her mistress.
In Exodus 2, Moses fled Egypt after he killed a man. He ran to the wilderness, where he stayed 40 years, but an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush and told him to go back.
In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah hid in a cave to avoid Jezebel, but the word of the Lord came to him and told him to go back.
You won’t always be “in the mood” to confront your issues. You won’t always “feel like it” when God tells you to stay in the fight, but He may bring you back to it until you learn to trust Him there.
Prayer of the Day: God, thank You for being with me wherever I go. Help me keep moving forward. Give me the courage to face what I need to face and stay in the fight until I get it, especially on those days when I feel like running away, amen.
