Hiccups

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. ~ Ephesians 6:13-18 MSG

Hiccup: a minor difficulty, interruption, setback ~ dictionary.com

I was thinking about hiccups this morning as little Elizabeth had them, causing my whole stomach to jolt with each one.  Hiccups inside the womb are rather comical.  Hiccups in your infant when she’s almost asleep are frustrating, as there are so few “tricks” to stop them.  Hiccups in life can be just as frustrating, as they seem to come out of nowhere.  And even though they are “temporary,” in the midst of them, they can be all-consuming.

But Ephesians 6 reminds us to be prepared and to take all the help we can get.  You see, we may not know exactly when the hiccups will come or how they will come—as a job loss, as a sickness, as financial difficulty, or the failing of promise fulfilled—but we can take comfort in knowing that God has already given us everything we need so that after the dust settles, we will still be on our feet.  This passage also reminds us that God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.  Joshua 1:8 instructs us to meditate on it day and night so that we will prosper and succeed in everything we do.  We are also to keep our eyes open by praying for ourselves as well as each other so that we will be strong during this ongoing warfare and so that no one will fall behind.

So what are the hiccups in your life?  What are your setbacks, interruptions, and difficulties?  Unlike some of the tricks—drinking water upside down or holding your breath till they pass—you’ll need real weapons to get through them.  Just as Ephesians 6 instructs, learn how to apply truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation to your life, meditate on God’s Word, and be continuously in prayer.  Only then will you be able to stand through your hiccups.

Father, help us to remember that hiccups are only temporary and with the weapons You have entrusted to us, we can make our way through them.  Help us to remember to turn to You, as we are up against far more than we can handle on our own.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

© Heather Potts 2014