Down, Dooby-Doo, Down Down...

"'I will bring you down,' declares the Lord."

Obadiah v4

Okay, I know that sounds depressing.  It sounds like a threat.  But I know God loves me, so when I read it today, it didn't sound like a threat, it sounded somehow.... compassionate.

The Book of Obadiah is only one chapter long ~ the shortest book in the Old Testament ~ and the message of it, in a "nutshell," is that God will judge unbelievers who persecute His chosen nation, Israel; and that God in His grace will deliver believing Israel.  For those of you who are allergic to nuts, that's the message "in a few words".

So in this book, God's threats to unbelieving Gentiles are.... well, threatening.  "I will make you small among nations; you will be utterly despised... Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever... As you have done, it will be done to you..."

But since I'm not an unbeliever, the words in verse 4, while prophetic, have something else for me.

Let's look at the whole verse:  "'Though you soar like the eagle, and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,' declares the Lord."  God never promised a lifetime of happiness and ease for His children.  "In this world, you will have trouble," He said.  And we know that trouble waits for us in many places ~ health, finances, difficult people in our lives, etc.  But I think sometimes the trouble comes from Him.  There are trials that have a point for us, so He does more than just allow them, He orchestrates them.

The last time my Awesome Girl had a volleyball tournament, she went on an amazing point streak.  She served several times in a row, and every time, they were great serves, and her team scored a point on them.  But after about a dozen or so of these, when she glanced over at her coach, he pulled her out, and subbed in someone else.  Amazing Boy was incensed for his sister, but I understood.  And when I asked her afterwards, so did she.  She knew that sooner or later, she was going to miss with a serve, and that streak was going to come to an end anyway, so she was fine with it.

I don't know what the coach's thinking was.  Maybe he wanted to take her out while she was doing well, and her confidence was high.  Maybe he was worried about what too many serves in a row would do to her shoulder.  Maybe he just wanted to give all the girls an equal chance to perform.   Maybe all of those.

When things are going well in our lives, we don't know why God "brings us down".  Maybe He wants us to take our minds off of what we are accomplishing, and put them back on Him.   Maybe He feels we need to "be still," and rest in Him, that we might not grow weary.  Maybe He feels we are getting prideful, and we need to be taken down a notch.  Maybe He just knows that difficult times grow our character, to be more like Him.

I know this, though:  it won't last.  His plans for me don't involve being permanently "down".  I will once again soar like an eagle, and make my nest among the stars.  In Him I hope, and it gives me strength.

~ "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary, 

they will walk and not be faint." ~

Isaiah 40:31