He was one of my favorite teachers. When I was struggling to get my academic feet under me as I transitioned from junior high to high school, he helped spark my lifelong love for history. His teaching was rich with stories that somehow made it all seem relevant and even enjoyable to a 15-year-old kid. I got A’s and B’s in his class (can’t say the same for all the others that year). And that would have been good enough, except his influence didn’t end there.
And many decades later, I’m just now seeing it.
Some of the wisest, most inspirational and successful people who walk into our lives have followed Biblical principles without even realizing it. I was reminded of that history teacher recently, whose winsome teaching and storytelling were, though I didn’t realize it at the time, in the footsteps of the Greatest Story Teller of all time. No wonder I loved it. But I was especially reminded of his influence on my life when reading familiar words from Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength—a very present help in time of trouble.” …
…“The best offense is a great defense! Defense!”
My history teacher, who was also the varsity basketball coach, would yell that at us over and over at practice, and even in games. He was convinced it was the foundation for success and he wouldn’t let us forget it. But then moments after playing strong defense, my teacher and coach would yell encouragement, “Good! Now work the offense. Work it! Be patient.”
No wonder he became the most successful basketball coach our high school ever had. Because the psalmist reminded me that Someone else had already laid down that perfect blueprint for success before the beginning of time. All these years later, I realized that as “our refuge and strength,” God is my defense AND offense in the battles, challenges and stresses of life. Coach was right—defense comes first, just as the psalmist wrote it. And as defender, I was reminded that God is my safe place and protector who intercepts passes meant for harm and blocks shots before they hit their mark. (Thank You, Lord!)
Running to our Shield and Defender first, and again and again, as the psalmist writes, is always the first step. The next is to “work the offense. Be patient!” The teacher, the coach and the Word teamed up in a loud voice: The battles may be the Lord’s to win but not while I watch from the stands. It is His strength working through me—my trusting, believing, obeying, persevering, full-court pressing faith. God’s part and my part working together...just like a great basketball defense and offense.
And just maybe God used that classroom and basketball memory to drive home the rest of that verse from Psalm 46. Because the teacher and the coach seemed to fade from the scene as I got to the phrase I —maybe all of us — may have needed to hold onto most...
“A very present help in times of trouble.”
Whether it's times of sadness, weariness, stress, uncertainty or confusion, I needed to hear for the gazillionth time that God is not only my greatest-ever defense and offense, He is always “very present.” Things you know but things you forget in the heat of the moment. But very? How can anything be more present than present? Perhaps it was the psalmist’s “I don’t have the words for this” way of saying, of encouraging us all, that no matter what the season and unlike any other friend on earth, God is:
Always ready.
Always listening.
Always near.
Proven.
Trustworthy...
...Undefeated!
That wherever we go, there He is. That whether we are stuck inside during a snowstorm, or halfway around the world, or “If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, Your strength will support me.” (Psalm 139:9-10)
That the greatest gift we can open every Christmas is the “very present” one that promises:
‘Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and He shall be called ‘Emmanuel’—meaning...
...‘God is with us.’ ”
(Matthew 1:23)
“You know when I sit or stand. When far away You know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment You know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me and place Your hand of blessing on my head. This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! I can never be lost to Your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! —Psalm 139:2-7, Living
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