Confession No. 25: I Thought I Was The Main Character

I love watching movies. There is just something about getting caught up in someone else's story for two hours that keeps me coming back for more. The really great movies allow us to feel the main character's story unfolding along side of them. We feel their joy or pain and this often reminds us of our own lives.

Isn't that what the Bible is? It is God's story. As each chapter unfolds, we learn something new about God. As we read through the individual stories of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Job, etc., we start to see how each of them plays a small role in God's grand picture. The problem in my own life is that I thought my story was about me. The truth is, my story is just a tiny portion of God's story. His story plays out through eternity and we have the opportunity to be a part of His brilliant production.

When Joshua was about to go into war against the Canaanites for the Promise Land, he was feeling the burden of being God's chosen leader. As he stood just outside of Jericho feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, he learns that he is not the main character in this story either.

Joshua 5:13-15
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” 14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said.
“What do you want your servant to do?” 15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.

Joshua learns that this story is not about his leadership or about the Israelites getting the Promise Land. This story is about God. It was not Joshua's battle. The battle was the Lord's and Joshua was just playing out the role that God had called him to. I hope that I can respond like Joshua did. When he realized that this was the Lord's battle and not his own... when he realized that he was standing in the presence of the holy one, He asks, "What do you want your servant to do?"

Have you realized that your life is holy ground? Submit the details to God knowing that it's not about you. God cannot lose, so if you feel like you are in a battle right now, just know that you are not fighting it alone. God will fight for you... In His story, He gets all of the victory, but as His children, we are so blessed that He allows us to have a speaking role. Moses may have said it best in the book of Exodus, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

My prayer: Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be a part of your story. Please continue to remind me that it is not about me. Amen.