April 3, 2009
On that great day," God says, "I will round up all the hurt and homeless, everyone I have bruised or banished. I will transform the battered into a company of the elite. I will make a strong nation out of the long lost, A showcase exhibit of God's rule in action, as I rule from Mount Zion, from here to eternity. "And you stragglers around Jerusalem, eking out a living in shantytowns: The glory that once was will be again. Jerusalem's daughter will be the kingdom center." Micah 4: 6-8
We can call it sleep deprivation (considering that it is 3:00am and I’m up writing this) but when I read this scripture, I started singing (and desired a bowl of Fruit Loops): Transformers! More than meets the eye! Autobots wage their battle to destroy the forces of the evil Decepticons! Transformers! Robots in disguise! Transformers! More than meets the eye!
Don’t laugh. That is the first- and only- thing that came in my head reading this portion of Micah. I thought about how Micah was assuring God’s people that He would transform them from hurt and empty into healed and whole. He was going to take them from victims to victors. And that’s the exact same thing that happened with the Autobots. For the first twenty minutes, Megatron and his crew would straight thrash Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee and the rest of the Autobots and then, they’d regroup, rethink their strategy and end up defeating the Decepticons. We can learn a lot from those Ford 150s turned heroes. Don’t believe me? This is going to be fuuuun!
We have more power than we (or the enemy) realize.
Did you ever notice how the theme song talked about the Autobots being “more than meets the eye” and “robots in disguise”? That meant there was something inside of them that not everyone could see. Let’s face it; they were beat up Camaros and pickup trucks. On the surface, if they made it up a hill, it was an accomplishment. But on the inside, they were machines well equipped to complete the task. That’s the same with you. People (maybe even you) are focusing on the outside: you’re not the prettiest (and ain’t that subjective); you’re not the smartest; you don’t have the qualifications; you don’t possess the stature. But on the inside, you are in possession of the greatest force in the world: the power of God! And along with that power comes favor, grace and mercy. You may not have the resume that enables you to get that job but guess what? You have it! Your grades may not have been “summa cum laude” status but you got the scholarship! The God in us confuses our enemy; he never understands how what he plans for us never succeeds. You’d think he’d get it by now, huh? The power in us will always be tested and the test won’t be easy.
Despite the power Optimus Prime had and showcased (every week), Megatron always came up with a new attack; and each attack got stronger and more intense. Sometimes (more times than not), the attack would take Optimus back to the drawing board. And every week, without fail, little kids around the world would wonder how the Autobots were going to get out of this one. Though, Megatron would be victorious, the most important lesson was not realizing that he would be the overcomer but recognizing why he was being attacked. Megatron and the Autobots were responsible for keeping Earth safe. That’s a pretty big responsibility. Those with purpose will always be targeted. Maybe you’ve endured hurt from a friend, betrayal in a relationship, the loss of a job or home, or you’re feeling the brunt of this recession and your resources are becoming constrained. Now, if you’re a Believer, you already know you’re victorious but do you know why you’re being attacked? You’ve got something to give this world. Your reason for being is so impactful that the enemy has to work overtime to get you so frustrated about your current circumstances that you lose focus of the bigger picture: what you’ve been called to do. Don’t give him that much credit. God never said we wouldn’t tested but with Him, we pass with flying colors!The powerful are special people.
I love how The Message Translation of this passage says that God will transform us into a company of the elite. Elite means chosen- a little better than the rest. You know what the Transformers were called? They were called an elite fighting force. Everybody couldn’t be a Transformer. Your 87 Honda Accord LX couldn’t kick it with Bumblebee. Optimus Prime was not about to let your deuce and a quarter be his apprentice. You had to be special and favored to be an Autobot. Oh how wonderful it is that God favors us! Because He’s chosen us, we get special treatment. We’re living when that sickness or accident should have killed us years ago. We’re enjoying the fruits of some things we didn’t labor for. People don’t understand it. They try to figure it out. They lost their job six weeks ago and are going crazy; you’ve been out of work two years and God’s still keeping you. His hand never leaves you because He can trust you with what He gives. The Autobots could be trusted with their power and responsibility. You can be trusted with your gift and your anointing. You may not dot every “i” and cross every “t” but God can depend on your heart and for that, He calls you away and sets you apart and you eat off the fat of the land. I’m going to bed now. I’ll wait until later to eat those Fruit Loops! But it’s amazing what you can learn from a thirty minute show. I had the Transformers action figures, lunch box, posters, bed sheets (I went through a tomboy stage. Thank God I didn’t stay there) and played it with my cousins all the time growing up. I didn’t recognize how much power I was playing with back then. Shoot, I didn’t recognize how much power I’m joking around with now. Ohhh….but I got it and because I got it, watch out! I intend to possess everything meant for me and fight with all I have to never lose it. Will you? Autobots Unite!
©BirthRight, 2009
