For Your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! And in Your steadfast love You will cut off my enemies, and You will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am Your servant. (Verses 11-12)
It used to be my daily routine to get up at 5 A.M. and go for an early morning run before I came back home to get the kids ready for school and myself ready for work. I loved the forty minutes or so it took to run four miles up and down the quiet streets of my town. It was my prayer time. Getting my day in order with my Father. But, it was usually dark. Vanessa would sometimes join me for these runs. Some of our best conversations about God and life took place while we sweated in the dew of morning. On such a morning, I met the enemy face to face.
Vanessa had a zero period and couldn't run the full four miles with me. There is an easy two mile turnaround, so I said good-bye as she headed back home and I went on. It was October and the nights were cooling down in the desert where we lived. This often made it foggy in the mornings. On this morning, fog was so dense I couldn't see across the four lane city street beside which I jogged on the sidewalk. I was about a mile from home when a car pulled up beside me and a man asked me for directions. It was clear that wasn't what he wanted. I didn't say anything but kept on running. Up in front of me I could see his brake lights shining in the fog, making two hazy circles near the curb. "Oh, Jesus, help me!" I had to think fast. Do I run across four lanes where there might be traffic that doesn't see me, or do I run past the guy and hope he doesn't grab me? I opted to run across the street. The man heard my footfall and ran after me. He was fat and slow, thank God, so I outran him.
My next problem was that I needed to be on the other side of the street in order to get back into my neighborhood. I didn't know when it would be safe to cross back over. As I neared the intersection, I could see the man standing by his car, waiting for me. I was already on my side of the street ready to turn right when I noticed him under the streetlight. He made a move toward me. With all my might I screamed, "In the name of Jesus Christ, you cannot touch me. In the name of Jesus Christ, you leave me alone!" The man stopped in his tracks, and I ran past, breaking my own speed records, I'm sure.
When I got home, Vanessa hadn't showered yet. She thought she might go find me. "Mom, are you all right? I had a weird feeling about your being out there by yourself." I was so glad she was safe. My pounding heart took a while to calm down. Bill and I couldn't find the guy's car and the police wondered why I didn't get a license plate number. I was very glad to be alive.
I was in trouble. My enemy right before my eyes. In the terrifying moment the most important thing I remembered is: I am a child of God. There are things God has said He will do for me because of that. Jesus has promised to keep us from the evil one (John 14). The adversary of our souls. Jesus has given us the same authority He has over Satan. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). I want to wrap the knowledge that I live in the bubble of God's protection around me like a blanket today and take comfort in the fact that there are things God will do in my life simply because I belong to Him.
It used to be my daily routine to get up at 5 A.M. and go for an early morning run before I came back home to get the kids ready for school and myself ready for work. I loved the forty minutes or so it took to run four miles up and down the quiet streets of my town. It was my prayer time. Getting my day in order with my Father. But, it was usually dark. Vanessa would sometimes join me for these runs. Some of our best conversations about God and life took place while we sweated in the dew of morning. On such a morning, I met the enemy face to face.
Vanessa had a zero period and couldn't run the full four miles with me. There is an easy two mile turnaround, so I said good-bye as she headed back home and I went on. It was October and the nights were cooling down in the desert where we lived. This often made it foggy in the mornings. On this morning, fog was so dense I couldn't see across the four lane city street beside which I jogged on the sidewalk. I was about a mile from home when a car pulled up beside me and a man asked me for directions. It was clear that wasn't what he wanted. I didn't say anything but kept on running. Up in front of me I could see his brake lights shining in the fog, making two hazy circles near the curb. "Oh, Jesus, help me!" I had to think fast. Do I run across four lanes where there might be traffic that doesn't see me, or do I run past the guy and hope he doesn't grab me? I opted to run across the street. The man heard my footfall and ran after me. He was fat and slow, thank God, so I outran him.
My next problem was that I needed to be on the other side of the street in order to get back into my neighborhood. I didn't know when it would be safe to cross back over. As I neared the intersection, I could see the man standing by his car, waiting for me. I was already on my side of the street ready to turn right when I noticed him under the streetlight. He made a move toward me. With all my might I screamed, "In the name of Jesus Christ, you cannot touch me. In the name of Jesus Christ, you leave me alone!" The man stopped in his tracks, and I ran past, breaking my own speed records, I'm sure.
When I got home, Vanessa hadn't showered yet. She thought she might go find me. "Mom, are you all right? I had a weird feeling about your being out there by yourself." I was so glad she was safe. My pounding heart took a while to calm down. Bill and I couldn't find the guy's car and the police wondered why I didn't get a license plate number. I was very glad to be alive.
I was in trouble. My enemy right before my eyes. In the terrifying moment the most important thing I remembered is: I am a child of God. There are things God has said He will do for me because of that. Jesus has promised to keep us from the evil one (John 14). The adversary of our souls. Jesus has given us the same authority He has over Satan. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). I want to wrap the knowledge that I live in the bubble of God's protection around me like a blanket today and take comfort in the fact that there are things God will do in my life simply because I belong to Him.
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