Judges 3:1-2
How easy is it to thank God for difficulty? How easy is it to be grateful in the present, for opposition or enemies who want to destroy you? It is not. Anyone who says differently likely has come through difficulty and has seen the benefits to their life.
The Lord left some enemies in the land of Canaan. To teach the tribes who had not fought, how to fight. He put them in a position where they would have to trust Him for strength, strategy, and success. In this, I remember the bears and lions that came to test the shepherd David. It might be devastating to a shepherd to have a lion sneak into the flock. It would be easy to retreat from an enemy like this. He did not. More than once a predator came. It likely got easier each time to kill the predator who wanted to destroy. What would it look like to laugh in the face of those who oppose us. To have peace when Satan wants to upset us. Maybe even relishing the idea of a worthy battle, knowing God may be preparing us for a giant to fight. A giant that threatens a nation. When that day comes you are content with a secret knowledge, a confidence that is both earned and given, because of the string of victorious battles that lay behind. Whether it be David, or the remaining tribes coming into Canaan, we each have a choice. To begin to fight the small battles that God allows or not to. One option leads to greater things that grow God's kingdom. The other is a meek and mild course, one that lives on human strength and human wisdom, I am not the judge, but for the sake of those who choose the safe path I hope that salvation accompanies it.
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