This is War!

Psalm 144

“We’re not yet out of gunshot of the devil” —John Bunyan

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,

who trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle. —144:1

Life is war: One skirmish after another. We win a few and we lose a few with fresh battles every day. 

As I look back on my life I must say that youth was a continuous battle to overcome my passions; in my middle years I was besieged by a need to make good. Aging poses a new set of challenges, not the least of which is dealing with losses.

Aging is all about attrition. All the things we’ve spent a lifetime acquiring begin to slip away. Learning to deal with each loss is the spiritual challenge for our last years.

They say that every battle plan is jettisoned in the fog of war. Precision and certainty go out the window. I find myself clueless this morning. A recent loss bewilders me. 

I know no strategy for dealing with this diminishment; no tactic to meet it. I can only entrust myself to God, my rock, who has been faithful through all the years. He must train my fingers for battle and my hands for war.

David Roper

2.22.17