Monthly Archives: May 2017

Saturday morning we ate at the Tucson Mall Food Court after we’d completed walking an hour’s worth of Mall laps. As we sat at a table relaxing Ernie asked, “Do you think God is developing you into a Navy Seal?”

“Say what?” I almost choked as I tried to swallowed my first big bite of Cinnabon.

“I don’t mean an actual Navy Seal, but is God preparing you to become a deadly effective war machine?”

I cleared my throat. “Um … I don’t know … is that what God’s doing?” With the corner of my napkin I wiped some sticky sweet frosting from the corner of my mouth.

“I say it is.” Ernie sipped his coffee.

“How so?”

“Consider that God is active in your life … in everybody’s life.”

“OK.”

“God is doing something important.”

“OK.”

“God is preparing you for service.”

“OK.”

“God is developing you into a Navy Seal.”

“OK … I mean, maybe. How’s God doing this?”

“Well for instance God begins the process through trials.” Ernie set his coffee cup down.

I took another bite of my cinnamon delight. Then I said, “Give me an example.”

“Alright … let me first ask you a question.”

“OK.” I answered while chewing. “Ask away.”

“What do you think might be the purpose of a trial, a bit of suffering, or a devastating experience?” Ernie raised his cup to his lips and waited for me to answer.

I’d wondered about things like this before, but never really thought them through. “Purpose? I’m not sure there is a purpose …. What’s the purpose?”.

“Preparation.”

“Naw! That’s nuts.”

“No listen. God can use these things for preparation.”

“Preparation for what exactly? … Give me a for instance.”

“Preparation for developing you into a Navy Seal. Here’s one example … say someone loses their job unexpectedly because their company is closing shop here and moving there …”

“Hmm OK, I got it.”

“Is this a personal trial?”

I swallowed my last piece of Cinnabon before I said, “Of course it is. It affects the person. It affects the family. And it affects the neighborhood.”

“Right! This trial causes some form of hardship, doesn’t it?”

“Obviously.” I looked Ernie in the eye.

He didn’t blink. He didn’t look away. “Trials, suffering or devastation they’re all the same … they’re preparation,” he said. “This preparation has both a temporary and an eternal dimension.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You’re losing me.” I held up my left hand to slow Ernie down.

“Alright, let me back up a little,” he said sanely. “God is preparing you and me … us to become Navy Seals. A Navy Seal represents a tough, hardened defender that is skilled in conflict techniques. A Navy Seal is systematically prepared to overcome any enemy.”

“OK, I’ll buy that.” I calmed myself. My head quit spinning.

Ernie further explained, “A Navy Seal operates in the physical realm. But God’s Navy Seals operate not solely in the physical realm, they also operate in the spiritual realm. In this realm the skills and weapons used are supernatural … much more powerful than mere physical abilities.”

“Um, alright.”

“So then, God prepares you to act as a Navy Seal, and one means of preparing you is through trials, suffering, or devastation … maybe all three.” Ernie paused and took a breath.

“OK, I can follow that.” I caught a whiff of a fresh batch of Cinnabons. My stomach smiled.

“The result is that preparation produces the ability in us to endure the hardships of trials, suffering, and devastation. And then to perform our service for the Lord.”

“Wow!” My eyes widened. “How do you come up with this stuff?”

Ernie continued by saying, “Endurance matures us and makes us ready for anything … do you understand?”

“A little.” I planed to spend some alone time to think this through.

As we pushed our chairs back and stood up Ernie finished by saying and asking, “Think Navy Seal …. Are you tough? Do you want to be?”

Case Studies:

1. Joseph: Genesis 30 ff
2. Gideon: Judges 6 ff
3. Ruth: Ruth
4. Esther: Esther
5. Job: Job

Bonus Song:

Don Moen God Will Make a Way