ASSISTANCE AT EVERY STEP

DAY 190 OF 365 IN 2021

Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Ravenous appetite, killer instinct, hunters and predators; these were the words that come to mind when I thought about a pack of wolves. There wasn’t any clearer contrast than juxtaposing this alongside the features of a flock of sheep characterised simply by calm. Therefore, we really begin to get picture of the kind of turf Jesus had sent the disciples into.

He had sent them into treacherous territory; into a place which had not been designed for them to be comfortable. They had been thrust into a war zone where taking their eyes off the ball for a split second could mean sudden death. Some scary stuff. And His suggestion to make it through: ‘be wise as a serpents and innocent as doves’.

This was an interesting tactic to employ given the situation but it was indicative of one truth: ‘you cannot afford to let yourself be distracted’.
Because there is a constant barrage of weapons flying round, it only takes a brief lapse in concentration, a misstep or wrong positioning to find yourself in the line of enemy fire in a war zone. So one has to be on the look out at all times.

It would have been ideal if Jesus had sent the disciples as sheep into a flock of sheep, but that would be so only if all were sheep. Beloved, we are at war, we are constantly wrestling. And because we have chosen to be on God’s side, we are like sheep among a pack of wolves. Yet, we are unperturbed because there is real assistance every step of the way.

#sly