Found Faithful

Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite.  As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle.  Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword.  The LORD brought about a great victory that day."  II Samuel 23:39

I don't know about you, but at the end of my life, I want to be found faithful.  I want to have lived my life with perseverance and dedication, running the race set before me.  I want to leave a legacy worth leaving.  I want to have honored Christ in all I do and it's that for which I wish to be remembered.

But if I'm being honest, there are any number of things or people or events that often threaten that from becoming a reality - because I often let them.

I love the verse above from II Samuel.  At first glance it doesn't seem like what we might deem as a "power verse" but it is so rich in truth and application.  Here, Eleazar was with King David while they were fighting the Philistines.  When the rest of the army retreated, "he stood his ground".  He was so dedicated, so faithful, so unwavering that he refused to give up in the face of adversity.  He was such a warrior that he fought until he hand grew so tired that it "froze to the sword".

Now that's a warrior.

I don't know about you, but I'm obviously not on the front lines of a full fledged, real life war.  Yet in small, often trivial ways, I feel like I am.

When I'm heartbroken for a friend;
When I'm left out;
When I'm cut off in traffic;
When my fears threaten to overtake me;
When one glance at the calendar overwhelms me;
When grief threatens to consume me;
When my patience has waned and my voice raised;
When every line at Wal-Mart is backed up;
When people are talking behind my back;
When the mailbox is empty, the phone silent, and I feel I've been forgotten;
When I've been asked the same question 86 times;
When I step on a Lego... again;
When the baby has a blow out;
When I'm laying in bed awake at night worrying;
When the kids are disobeying;
When I've had an argument with Mark;
When the cat jumps out and bites my calf and I step in his vomit on the dining room rug;
When someone hurts my feelings;
When the house is a mess and I feel like I can't do anything right;
When the trash *still* needs taken out;
When I feel like I've failed time and time again;
When a project doesn't work out;
When the baby has cried all day because she's teething;
When someone missed the toilet;
When the car breaks down;
When I break the garage door....again;
When the scale mocks me;
When the budget needs trimmed some more;
When I'm asked to do something I don't really want to do;
When the cat breaks one of my antique heirlooms;
When homework still needs to be done;
When we're running late and a certain someone is running particularly slow;
When I'm blamed for something that's not my fault;
When others judge based on things they don't know or understand;
When the phone rings and the voice on the other end says "Grandpa is dead.";
When I read the headlines of death and crime and war;
When the doctor doesn't have answers;
When I feel alone in the world ....

.... may I be found faithful.

May I be found determined and committed to standing my ground in the Word of God.
May I be found following His leadership.
May I give when giving is needed and stand firm when it's not.
May I remain calm and respond with grace.
May I be disciplined.
May I wear my Bible thin and come before the throne of God unceasingly.
May I lead well, follow well, live well.....

.... may I be found faithful..... may they say "she stood her ground" against adversity.  May I fight and run this battle so fiercely that I be found with my hand "frozen to the sword" and as a result, may they be able to say "the Lord brought about a great victory."