God in a Box

1 Samuel 4 tells the story of how the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant in a battle against Israel. The Ark represented God's presence and power. The Jews had carried it into the battle for that very reason. After losing the battle the day before, they decided they could only win against this stronger and better-equipped army if God fought for them. When the Philistine army found out that the Ark had arrived in the Jews’ camp, they were terrified. They realized that they would have to battle the God of Israel. This was the same God who had delivered the Jews from Egypt using terrible plagues. They knew they were in deep, deep trouble.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20sam%204:1-10&version=NLT

These days the army that has the most “Star Wars weapons” wins. Men armed with weapons they can carry are no match for those whose missiles are guided to their targets by satellites. This Bible story provides the same contrast. Both Israel and the Philistines knew they same thing about God. They knew about his awesome power. The Philistines understood that they faced an army whose most important weapon was their God. And, Israel knew she could win the battle only if God would use his power to fight for their side. Unfortunately later in the chapter it is revealed that "God in the box" got captured, because they put their trust in it, rather than faith in God.

We often battle powerful enemies like fear, depression, sorrow, and peer pressure. These are powerful enemies. How can we possibly win? In the same way the armies of Israel defeated superior powers and weapons. We win by tapping into the power of God who promises to be our defender. As we admit that we are weak and ask for his help, we release the power that God used to create everything in the universe by just speaking it into existence.