Exodus 17:10-13 (NIV) “So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
During a Sunday service not too long ago, I was sitting in my comfortable theater seat just meditating on what was going on around (which can easily distract me!). I noticed a young couple come in and go up the stairs to take their seats. The young woman was behind her loved one, who was just going up without even looking back to see if she was keeping up with him. This scene was very familiar because something seems to happen to their manners when couples get married (not all of them, but most of them). When the couple is dating, the male takes care to open doors, close doors, not to sit before she does, and to make sure he doesn’t walk ahead or drag behind. Then, soon after the couple weds, they seem to start walking a few steps ahead or behind. To be fair, it’s not an intentional thing, it just happens. So, as I was watching them go up and thinking to myself a phrase that I grew up with, “El burro por delante!” (which translated basically means, “The donkey goes ahead.”), the Lord showed me another angle to this scene. I was awestruck to see it. An excitement of what He was showing me went through all my body. He said, “Instead of looking at it that way, can’t you see that I might be positioning that person to protect the other mate’s back from spiritual attacks, and that he walks in front of her to defend her front or guard his side?” That thought just blew my mind away. It was like I had been blind for so long, or could only see from one angle. “Halleluiah!”
As I meditated more on what had happened, it was clearer to me. Yes, God knows exactly what lies ahead, beside, and behind us. Just like Moses needed his friends to hold up his arms during the battle with the Amalekites (Exodus 17:10-13), we need someone to watch out or help us keep an eye for all our sides as we go in life. So, yes it could be a lack of manners or it could be that God is positioning you to watch out for your mate’s spiritual well being. The choice is yours…from which angle are you watching?
By Elda Suarez