There are a great many stories in the Bible about the army of God and about the army of Israel and about, well, armies in general. About men willing to fight for what they believe in. About marksmen on the battlefield. About a single stone in a small sling. About chariots of fire and mountains covered in unseen warriors. About a messenger running to bring report to a commander far away.
Remember that story? David is hanging out on the rooftop and sees a man running from the battlefield and determines, by the way the man is running, what kind of news he is bringing from the war. Then, he sees a second man running, and he knows by the way the man is running exactly who the man is.
When we think about armies, we don't think often about the messengers, but maybe we should.
They are, after all, a very important part of God's army.
Psalm 68 talks about the army of the Lord, and it says that when He commands them, when He gives the word, there are very many ready to tell the good news.
This is important, especially for a Christianity that has had a reputation in the not-too-distant past for being about fighting God's battles for Him, with violence if necessary. It's important for those of us who think the behavior modification of the rest of the world is God's mission for us. It's important for those of us who believe that the best way to be in God's army is to carry a sword, light a fire, thump a Bible.
No, friends. The army of the Lord is an army of messengers.
It's an army of runners, folks from the front lines who are carrying a message back. Sinners who have been redeemed. Broken who have been healed. Lost who have been found.
The world should be standing on its rooftop and see us come running and not be afraid of whatever weapons we might be carrying, but know that we come with a message from the battle - the very same battle that they are fighting. The same troubles they're facing. Only, we know how the fight is going.
We know how the war ends.
We know Who wins.
The world ought to be watching and see us running and say to themselves, "Now, there. There is someone who's running like they have good news to share."
Good news, indeed.
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