“Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.”–Psalm 60:10-12
My adorable five-year-old niece, Jaselle, is very social. She loves hanging out with her cousins and making new friends on the playground. One Saturday in April, Jaselle was invited to a playdate at a nearby pool, so she excitedly kissed her mom and ran out the door. A few hours later Jaselle returned home, visually upset. Arms folded, she issued this declaration, “Mommy, if you are not going, I am not going.”
We later discovered that Jaselle had fallen into the pool and swallowed some water. Although, she was in good hands, they were not her mother’s hands. Jaselle had learned a valuable lesson that many Bible heroes had learned thousands of years before. If the Father was not going, they were not going either.
Moses, Gideon, and David were mighty warriors who understood their fragility without the presence of their Heavenly Father. Moses declared, in Exodus 33:15, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us. To quote the words of a five-year-old girl, Moses was saying, “Father, if you are not going, we are not going.”
Paraphrasing Gideon’s words to God in Judges 6:36-40: “I need to know that you are with me, therefore place dew on this fleece while leaving the ground dry.” When the dew showed up, Gideon said, “Don’t be angry God but I want to make absolutely sure you are with me. Can you reverse the request letting only the fleece remain dry but covering the ground with dew?” In a nutshell, Gideon was saying, “Father, I need to be sure that you are going, because if you are not going, I am not going.”
David, a man after God’s own heart, said, “Is it not you, God, who . . . no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory.” Psalm 60:10-12 (NIV)
Can you hear Jaselle’s declaration in David’s words? Father, all the human help is worthless, if you are not with us. Our victory is in you. Therefore, if you are not going, we are not going.
Understanding the Lord’s presence in your life is essential. The Lord’s presence is everything, for the Lord is your strength.
Lord, if you are not going, I will not go.
Angela Fields is a writer and an ordained minister. She is the author of I’m Perfectly Different, a book for children. Angela is a graduate of the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia and loves seafood, shopping, and a great pair of shoes.