In military training, you’re fighting a non-existent or pretend enemy. There’s no actual threat. But those involved have the context set that it’s training, so they understand why they’re supposed to be “pretending” it’s a time of war, when it isn’t.
I started thinking about that today and wondered how different the training might seem if there were no context set.
Would you be wondering what the point was of shooting at non-existent enemies? Puzzled at who was the enemy chasing you if you didn’t know they were pretend? Would you be struggling with being on high alert since it wasn’t a time of war? Would you feel like it was a waste of time?
Context makes a difference.
Then I starting thinking how God has many of us in severe desert seasons. And they look confusing to us too sometimes because we don’t see what He’s preparing us for. We’re missing the context… and yet are we?
Reading Revelation makes it pretty clear that as believers we will have to be in a place of total reliance on Him – with no room for error. Just like when you’re in actual war, there no longer room for error. Error kills people. That’s WHY you do so much training during a time when there IS a margin for error.
So despite the fact that this desert season full of trials isn’t fun… isn’t it a gift from God? It’s in His mercy that He wants to train us now… when we have a margin for error, the grace to get it right.
I encourage you if you’re in one of these desert seasons to thank God for loving you enough to want to prepare you when there’s grace to stumble. 🙂
Lord, thank You for your mercy. Thank You for being patient with us as we question where You have us and why instead of simply remembering that Your plans for us are good and that we should simply rest and trust You. Help us be teachable. We want to learn the things You know we need to know. Thank You for wanting to make the coming harder season easier for us by preparing us in an easier season, even when we don’t see that’s what You’re doing. You are so kind and good. We love You and we trust You. We submit our hearts and lives to Your tender hands.
You make an excellent point- perspective really is everything. Rick Joyner gave an excellent teaching during their Heart of David conf. on 9 Principles of Warfare. We have to have a war mentality, the enemy isn’t going to wait while we catch up to his level.
I went from desert to severe desert just in the past few weeks. God warned me it was coming I just didn’t think it was happening this quickly. This is a very difficult time to be in. At church this morning (before I even read this) the gift of tongues manifested right after worship. I knew deep in my spirit it was coming and the Word that came forth was literally the Lord speaking to me about this season I’m in and what I need to do. This post is expounding on that Word and giving me some more details. Thank you Meghan for posting! It’s so on time!
Meghan,
Our conversation still resonates with me as well. I love “God Appointments”. Training when there is grace available and room to grow and learn. The other night the Lord gave me two dreams that to look at them they didn’t seem to have a common thread between them. I woke up thinking, though, remember Pamela, these dreams go together. Someone helped me to interpret the dreams as a warning to be aware of counterfeits. I thought this is part of that training place Meghan and I were talking about. Surrender to the heart of the Father and He will take care fo the rest. Thanks again for sharing with me. Helps to put some things into perspective.