fighting goblins and slaying dragons...

On Tuesday night, the post that I set out to write was about how we feel insignificant at times. I had been working on a lot of paperwork that day and as I do that I frequently listen to audiobooks. Tuesday as I worked I chose “The Hobbit.” As I  listened to those familiar words, I was reminded of how much I relate to the character Bilbo. He didn’t ask to go on his journey but he was committed to it. He wasn’t qualified to do what needed doing but he rose to the occasion. With a small confession of my level of nerdiness I was in the process of writing a post about how much parallel I see in my own self to Mr. Bilbo Baggins.

I never finished that post…

That night my phone rang and I was called into a tragedy.

I have never felt more like Bilbo in my life.

The next morning as I was processing with a friend  I made the statement,

“I felt so helpless…No, helpless is the wrong word, I know my help comes from the Lord. I felt insufficient.”

I sat with a mother as she cried out “Why?!?” and I had no answer to give. I knew that the Lord knew why but in that moment, even that thought would fall flat.

I felt like I had nothing to contribute to the situation, what could I possibly say or do when it felt like the world was crumbling down?

As the days have passed, every angle of the situation has been hashed through, considered and discussed. The more I hear of the story, the more I find it to be abundantly clear, the Lord had carefully positioned everyone to be exactly where they needed to be and equipped them to do exactly what they needed to do.

But then why wouldn’t He?

He is God after all.

He is perfect and does everything perfectly. He considers angles that we are not aware even exist. He has power greater than our minds can comprehend. He knows better than we know and works things out with sheer perfection. His miracles are too great to be explained and His mercy is too awesome to comprehend.

Wow do we doubt Him so?

Why do we expect less the amazing things?

Why are we astonished when He shows up?

Why do we think that His power is not enough to make us enough?

Somehow in the wake of this all I can’t help but think back to my old friend Bilbo Baggins. There is a scene in “The Hobbit” where Bilbo has been left behind in the heart of the mountain. He and the band of dwarves he is with, along with Gandalf the wizard (their leader) were captured by the goblins. In a scuffle Bilbo is dropped and is left alone. Somewhere along the way he finds the ring of power that gives him the ability to move about unseen. After escaping the mountain he debates whether he should go back in looking for his friends and then he stumbles upon them, gathered around a campfire discussing whether they should go back and look for him.

He is still wearing the ring and so he listens to the conversation for a while, completely unseen by the group. The dwarves wanted to know why Bilbo had been chosen to come along in the first place because he was more trouble than use.

But I adore Gandalf’s reply,

“I brought him, and I don’t bring things that are of no use.”

Gandalf knew that a time would come where there would be dragon to slay and that in that moment that “useless” little hobbit would grow in courage, face the dragon and help destroy him.

To be sure, Bilbo gets in some scrapes along the way, but he was chosen for a reason. He was chosen because he had a use.

So do we.

Our most broken and feeble effort in the hands of the Savior can change the world. He doesn’t NEED us, we need Him. Yet, in spite of that He CHOOSES us.

This week, as I and so many of the amazing team that I work with questioned our responses in the wake of a difficult situation, I can almost hear my Savior shouting,

“I brought you and I don’t bring things that are of no use!”

There is nothing that is useless in the hands of my God.

My God, who created a world from nothing.

My God, who breathed life into a lump of clay.

My God. who parted oceans in the blink of an eye.

My God, who brought down walls with a shout.

My God, who sent His Son into the world to take the weight of sin and death upon His shoulders to a cross. The same God who raised His Son three days later to conquer sin, death and darkness once and for all and give victory over the enemy.

That God works through me.

That God has chosen me.

Just like Bilbo we fight goblins on a daily basis in the form of the demons that constantly attack us with shouts of doubt, fear, depression, hopelessness, lack of worth and the list is endless. But just like Bilbo we have power to escape their attacks.

Just like Bilbo we face a dragon in the form of an enemy so terrifying we cannot help but feel small and powerless in his presence. But just like Bilbo we will see the dragon fall before us.

So walk with purpose my friends.

Walk with confidence.

If we are in Christ we have a power available to us through the Spirit of God that can carry us through every dark place and defeat any enemy we encounter. So let us not cower in fear and doubt. Let us not question the Lord and His ways.

We have been brought by the King of heaven and He does NOT bring things that are of no use!