Numbers 10 (NIV) The Silver Trumpets
The Lord said to Moses: 2 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. ……….
8 “The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. 9 When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. 10 Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”
Who is watching out for you? When you were a kid, did you have a protector? I became friends with Carmen (Name was changed to protect the innocent. Who am I kidding; it is actually his real name because there were no innocent.) when we first entered Kindergarten just a few years back. At that time, Carmen was 1/3 again as large as the next biggest kid in school. There was a sizeable difference. To us, he may as well have been Goliath! He had respect before he said a word. And I was lucky enough to be his friend and he, mine! That remained all through our lives until yesterday when, as they say “Until death do us part.” Since I am still writing this, it is obviously Carmen who went to be with the Lord. I had trouble deciding on the title so I kept them all.
What if you could go through life knowing you had “protection”? I know, it sounds like the Godfather. Knowing that someone much stronger, wiser, smarter than you stood close behind ready to come to your aid at a moment’s notice? Would you live more confident? Would you be bolder? Would you try more things? What would you do if you knew you had all the support needed to succeed?
The Lord your God is that protection. He goes before you leveling out peaks and valleys. He puts the right people in your path and gives you favor with them. His hedge of protection surrounds you like a shield. Speaking of a shield, a friend gave me a medallion about wearing the full armor of God. One of the pieces of armor is the shield of Faith. Maybe you don’t have very much faith and you are worried you don’t have enough. Maybe you don’t believe in God. That’s OK; He believes in you! No matter where you go, no matter what you do, God waits for you to sound the trumpet so He can come and rescue you. That should give you the confidence you need to live with excellence.
So today was not a great day for me. I am way behind in my writing. My mind is cloudy and my eyes are red and burning. I am suffering great loss! I’m not sure whether to blow the trumpet in need of support or for celebration that I had such a friend. But if you listen carefully, you can hear the trumpet blasts. The first is my cry for comfort for my (our) loss. The second is for the rejoicing of the angels about the arrival of my buddy. Thank you Lord for long term friendships.
Father, I thank You for a lifetime of friendship and love. Thank You that You gave me such a friend. Thank You for a lifetime of blessings and memories. Please walk with me and Chris as we grieve our loss. But, let Your Spirit remind us of our gain in having him to begin with. In Jesus name I pray.