Chaplain's Corner: Asking for guidance on heaven's level

  • Published
  • By Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Clouse
  • JBER Chaplain
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Very recently, JBER participated in a weeklong exercise.

Many of you readers responded to injects, processed through deployment lines, responded to attacks, worked extra hours or nights, or maybe walked through fresh snow on post attack reconnaissance sweeps.

No matter your level of involvement, your participation was paramount to the mission.
While participating myself, I frequently thought of the people of Israel, encountering unexpected challenges along their 'missional' journey from Egypt to the promised land.
The Israelites left Egypt with an urgency to participate in whatever circumstances awaited.

They knew the first challenges were the Red Sea and a desert. They soon realized they must remain faithful and busy for heavenly good, while enduring their 'mission' journey.
They encountered lack of resources (food, water, shelter), they were directed to build the 'tent of meeting', and had to sustain with only the items in their bags or carts and what God supernaturally provided.

In the same manner, when we exercise as military forces, we must 'survive and operate' with nothing more than what's at hand. I believe there is a profound spiritual message awaiting to be discovered.

Just like in the JBER exercise, spiritually we are sent out to participate in challenges.
Yet we must 'survive and operate' with limited resources in the exercises, and limited resources spiritually within ourselves. We can impact our exercise situations and spiritual situations only so much.

At some point, we come up short, and must ask heavenly leadership for guidance and support; we must ask for God's involvement - much like when we have exhausted our exercise resources and seek resupply. Otherwise we will surely not complete his mission(s), become frustrated, and cannot proceed further.

Romans 11:32 has long been my favorite biblical scripture and many have heard me speak of it, '..for God bound all men over to disobedience, so He may have mercy on them all.'

That means to me, God never intended for his children to have all necessary resources. He never intended for us to have the ability to eradicate sin either. Sin is something we must struggle with at our core, the limitation of the flesh. He intends for us to acknowledge our limitations and seek him.

It is my belief, God gives us limited resources and enduring faith to leave our proverbial Egypt for him, with the intent we are to faithfully look to him.

He wants to provide mercy, guidance, and restoration for the weary soul.

He doesn't want us to operate solely by sight or what resources we have.

When we come up short, he promises to sustain us with mercy that endures forever.
The simple message today is this: when you run out of resources, when you run out of fortitude, when you are emotionally and spiritually dried up, take heart that God didn't intend for us to 'have it altogether.'

He wants us to seek him in times of plenty, in times of thin, in times of busy, and while we engage his personal mission for each of our lives.

He will sustain you on the path he has placed you on.

Don't get caught up worrying about tomorrow, he has given you today, rejoice in it and be glad.