Thief in the Night

My husband was preparing to go out of town for work for the week, so we stayed home this particular Sunday morning to worship online and see him off. The bold knock on the door gave us pause. With an under his breath, “Can’t they see our ‘No Soliciting’ sign?”, he sauntered to the door. The man asked if he was the parent or guardian of our daughter. She was sitting right by me on the couch and looked at me with eyes rounded as her breathing intensified. Something was askew.

As I rounded the corner to the entryway, a police officer stood holding our daughter’s lavender Jon Hart school backpack. We had left it in the car that weekend. I unloaded groceries the evening before, and in the shuffle of getting them put away and supper started and… and… and… I negated to lock my car. I even mentioned it to my husband and asked if he would click the lock for me. We both forgot and were none the wiser until the knock on the door.

A thief in the night made his way down our street that night. My car doors were ajar, everything rifled through and searched. Insert moment of increased heart rate and overwhelming feeling of violation.

The thief took her backpack but ditched it a few blocks away. I’m not sure whether the fifty pounds worth of books and study materials weighed him down and he decided to cut bait or whether he found another treasure deemed more prizeworthy.

The officer found her name on one of the papers inside, looked up our address, and returned her backpack to us with not so much as even a pencil missing from the original contents.

Quite simply, God’s providence on display. While we slept, less than twenty feet from our bedroom, thievery took place right under our noses.

And while He didn’t stop the attack, He protected the outcome.

In Ezra, Ezra set apart twelve leading priests and weighed out silver and gold and other articles donated to the house of God to transport to Jerusalem.

Ezra 8:28-30, “I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.” (NIV)

On their journey, He protected the outcome.

Ezra 8:31, “…The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.”

Nothing was out of place upon arrival to Jerusalem. Everything was accounted for. The exact weight they left with was the exact weight recorded in Jerusalem (v.34).

God guarded His people. His providence prevailed. He protected the outcome.

I find myself in a place of needing to tell myself the Truth repeatedly of late. The God of my ancestors is my God. The God who parted the Red Sea, directed the Jordan to cease to flow, provided a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day for direction of His people, declared Rahab faithful amidst her sordid life choices, sent His one and only Son to pay the penalty for my dark, pungent sin…

He is my God. One and the same and worthy to be praised. Exalted above all else and all thievery, literal or figurative, that may threaten my life.

The thief is still at large. Before the officer left that morning, we circled in our driveway and prayed for him. Prayed that there would be a pathway to a turning point. Prayed for protection over the work of the officer’s hands as he faces unforeseen challenges each day.

As Christians, we know our thief. He prowls around seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Property may be stolen. Seasons of life may be stolen by health hurdles, financial strain, relational conflict, snafus of living in a fallen world.

My prayer is that in the midst of it all, I may be found faithful. Nothing askew and not an ounce left unaccounted for in the allotment He has stewarded to me in the form of His purpose for my life.

He may not stop the attacks, but by faith, the outcome is secure.

Heavenly Father, You alone are sovereign. Counsel my spirit to follow Your way and not be led astray by thievery of any form. Protect me, Father, under the shelter of Your wings. You alone are my refuge and strength. Help me to lean into You in times of trial and be grateful to You for being by my side, never forsaking me. Hold me fast, Lord. Thank You that Your kindness leads me to repentance. Cleanse me, and set my feet secure on high ground that I may continue to fulfill Your purpose for my life unthwarted. Amen

Psalm 63:1, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” (NIV)