Ensign: (This is getting off the subject.)

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 9 May 2014

A few weeks ago I printed excerpts of the faith statements from the fourteen members of my church's Confirmation class. On that Sunday, Pastor Janet who was presenting the sermon that day displayed on a video screen part of her own statement of faith that she wrote sometime in the fourth quarter of the twentieth century! (I will not slip and give Pastor Janet's age, nice try though.) Her title was actually a question mark, and she speculated that if she had to write that statement she would likely STILL title it that way. And today's title comes from her faith statement too.

Yesterday I was reading part of the story of Hiroo Onoda, a name I don't expect rings a lot of bells either. But he's someone I knew about despite not knowing his name. The next-to-last Japanese holdout we know of – that is, he was in the World War II Japanese army and was never let know that the war had ended – was never formally relieved of duty so he remained on duty, Onoda was found in 1974 in the Philippines (his record was beaten by another Japanese soldier found in Indonesia a year later; any others if they're found would be in their early nineties now, so unlikely) and Onoda's long-retired commanding officer to come to the island and formally relieve him of duty.

Onoda died this past January, but the fact that he was willing and able to hold out under some of the worst conditions you can imagine can teach us a thing or two about how WE'RE supposed to live. And from a daily life standpoint, most of us will likely not go marching off to war, in the physical and worldly sense. But in the spiritual and otherworldly sense? We fight one every day. Ephesians 6:12 – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” And here's the kicker … most of us don't even know there's a war going on.

You shouldn't even have to BE a Christian – and I use that term sparingly, for even in the New Testament it appears only three times – to perceive that the pace of illness and calamity and suffering in our world is faster Faster FASTER than it's ever been. That might be just me, but I don't think it is. But we are not left hanging with “this world is bad, and it's just getting worse, and there's nothing you can do about it”. Believe it or not, Jesus didn't just ascend to heaven and leave us with nothing to do. Keep going in Ephesians – YES, we are up against what we can't even see, almost the macroscopic version of germs, which can affect our bodies and our spirits too.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Keep reading from verse thirteen there to seventeen that speak of the components of the armor (the girdle of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit) and notice there is no provision for your back, no surrender, no retreat from a spiritual battle. No matter how fatigued we get personally, by praying and watching with all perseverance (a ten-dollar word for persistence) and supplication. What Paul, Hiroo Onoda, Pastor Janet, and all of us can ask for is that protection and persistence for our lives. Let's.

That's the subject, David

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with all of you in my address book, and I hope to be an encourager to action too! If you find that I'm not or you want me to get lost, just let me know -- thank you!

Thank You, Lord, that we can come to you in prayer and that You provide for all our needs, even when we don't know what they are. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence there and around the world.

Thank You, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service, both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You. I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.