“Do not be silent, God, or unresponding!
Do not remain at rest, O Mighty One!” ~ Psalm 83:1
When might it be time to do an about-face?
When you hear your commanding officer say to your conscience, “About-face!” whether loud and clear or in a whisper.
The Lord alerts your conscience when you can’t get home if you keep going in the same direction—when only turning around places you in the direction of home. You don’t want him to be silent, unresponsive, or resting when his and your enemies rebel or when you are your own worst and bitter enemy heading the wrong way. In the latter case, what you want is for the Lord to reason with you, so you can make sense of what he wills for you and do it.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” ~ Isaiah 1:18-20
“For now Your foes arouse and make a clamor;
Your bitter enemies lift up the head.” ~ Psalm 83:2
The Lord moved Jacob throughout the course of his life to do an about-face and changed his name to Israel. Saul did an about-face immediately after an encounter with Jesus who renamed him Paul. Obediently, Paul went where he was told and waited until he was shown what to do. He was also told that he would suffer greatly for Jesus‘ name before it was all over and was given the courage to do so with joy and hope, trusting that, perfectly timed, the Lord would relieve every burden from his back. He was now proclaiming what he had previously tried to destroy. When Paul was sharing the gospel with King Agrippa, he said: “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” ~ Acts 26:29 May any about-face we do be as earnest as Paul’s.
Even King Ahab did an about-face. He “did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him.” In fact, it is recorded that “there was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.” Yet the Lord held off the disaster he would bring because Ahab humbled himself before God in repentance after provoking him to anger and after having made Israel sin. ~ 1 Kings 16-21
Those who refuse to do an about-face, who delight in inflicting atrocities on God’s people to torture and destroy them are likewise to be brought to justice by the God who sees and avenges his own.
“Like fire that burns the woods,
like flames of lightning,
Pursue them with your storms
and strike with fear.” ~ Psalm 83:14-15
The greatest kindness toward one who is rebelling against God is for the Lord to strike that one with fear to bring him back into the fold. Because if that does not happen, he will be reduced to “bits of chaff before the wind.”
“Let them be terrified and shamed forever,
And let them be dismayed
And be destroyed.” ~ Psalm 83:17
As a slave to sin, I want my old nature to be destroyed and then to be remade free to obey God as a new creation. Rather than looking within or looking around at others, I can look into God‘s word to see what he clearly revealed there on how he wants me to think, speak, and act. Would you like to be in a marriage where your spouse is faithful in body but whose mind is incessantly on what it would be like to be intimate with others or who’s heart pines not after you, but for others? Neither does God. He did make you in his image after all and chose to love you, commit to you, and make his home with you. Committing your life to God and loving him whom you cannot see is uncomfortable. It’s frightening to do an about-face when the direction you were going felt comfortable and familiar. Look within and look around to see what’s lacking in that direction and all there is for you in the direction of home. Then look up and ask for the gift to do an about-face. The Lord is pleased to answer that request. It’s his bride saying “Yes!” from the heart.
Those nations who thought they were untouchable and could figure out how to prevail over God were ambushed or defeated head on when they counted on being victorious. How much better it would have been for them to do a humble about-face, surrender, and ask for peace.
“And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” ~ King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:10-12
The Spirit of the Lord spoke through Jahaziel:
And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s… ~ 2 Chronicles 20:15
As the people began to sing and praise the Lord, the Lord set an ambush against the enemies of God who proceeded to destroy each other. “So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.” ~ 2 Chronicles 20:30
When singing Psalm 83, it helps to know that Psalm 87 actually celebrates people from enemy nations whom God gave the courage to do an about-face. They humbled themselves and sought the true God, Yahweh, the God of Israel. They quieted themselves to know him:
“I will make mention of the lands
Where I am known abroad.
“Philistia, Egypt, Babylon,
And Tyre together share
Along with Ethiopia:
‘That this is one born there!’
“Of Zion it will be declared:
“Each one was born in her.”
Behold, the Most High will Himself
Establish her secure.” ~ Psalm 87:4-5
“Fill up their faces with humiliation,
And let them come, O LORD,
To seek Your name.” ~ Psalm 83:16
Jesus took the sins of his people onto himself and was destroyed with those sins on the cross. Some think of it as the greatest failure of a mission ever to have happened in the history of the world. Except three days later, when he rose from the dead, it was the greatest victory ever. By dying, he saved billions of lives for all eternity bringing greater glory to the Father, the Holy Spirit, and himself than if he remained alive all along.
An historical about-face
Sometimes you find yourself doing the right thing. Then something happens to make you afraid, and you do an about-face in the wrong direction. We can see from his story that the prophet Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, prone to anxiety that caused him, at times, to be hesitant and resistant to wait for God’s lead. And yet God heard him. Elijah had greatly exalted God before his people to move their hearts back to him, but it seems he was sorely disgusted with himself when he got spooked by Jezebel and fled. He asked God to take his life because he was no better than his fathers. He loathed his moment of unfaithfulness that caused him to leave ahead of where God would send him.
But the Lord did not forget how Elijah waited until the last drop of water ran dry along the river where the Lord directed a raven to feed him each day. He waited until the Lord sent him to Zarephath to then be fed by a woman who was about to make a meal with the last of the flour and oil that she had, preparing that she and her son would die thereafter. Later, when her son actually did die, Elijah brought the case to God in detail, and the Lord enabled him to breathe life back into that boy, bringing hope and a deeper faith in God to the widow in Zarephath.
The Lord not only saw Elijah do an about-face from challenging the prophets of Baal to running for his life after Jezebel‘s threats, but also saw Elijah go from fearing for his life to being willing to give up his life to God because the affections of his heart belonged to God. He momentarily took his eyes off God and placed them on the obstacles, and in a short time, he did several about-faces in both directions.
That sure does sound a lot like us. Perhaps he didn’t want any further occasions to arise that would challenge or change his affinity toward God so he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. Elijah would not take his own life but placed his life in God’s hands as he laid down and slept under a broom tree.
There are no recorded writings in scripture by Elijah. His story is recorded not so much for what he did, but that in spite of all he did, he increasingly became still before God. If we could imitate anything about Elijah, if anything is exemplary and commendable, it would be this above all else. Watch Elijah midstream. Would God sternly correct his lack of faith or would he be tender with Elijah, the man with a nature just like ours?
And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. ~ 1 Kings 19:5-8
Elijah was in a fight on the inside to persevere in trusting God. Without trust, it’s like being on a highway and intermittently getting off at every exit ramp and randomly switching directions on the highway so that you never get where you want to go. Elijah ran and then stopped in his tracks to reestablish his trust in God.
When God uses someone to guide, counsel, and nourish you physically or spiritually, you can either leave the plate untouched and wallow in your troubles, or you can do an about-face, arise, eat, and be strengthened for whatever God has for you to do next.
Elijah challenged King Ahaziah for consulting with the god of Ekron: “Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?” ~ 2 Kings 1:16
When you don’t like the direction you are going, take care that your about-face is in the direction of the Lord, not to join forces with worldly counsel. You could inadvertently be making a covenant against God. Be careful also when you plan the agenda of your meetings:
“Against your people now they plot in secret;
They meet to work against
Your hidden ones.
They say, ‘Let us go up and end their nation.
The name of Israel shall be no more!’” ~ Psalm 83:3–4
The Lord will help you choose wisely if you ask him. When God makes clear to you your present duties, he helps you overcome the past and gives you hope for the future. This is how the meek inherit the earth. They learn to be still before God and wait for him trusting that he will give to them all that he has promised.
A modern day about-face
A former atheist communicates how the Lord brought her to a heartfelt about-face. With uncommon poise, she dispassionately acknowledges Western civilization‘s want for reasonableness lamenting that even our institutions of higher education who put themselves forth as repositories of truth and reason have succumbed to unreasonableness in replacing truth with social constructs. You cannot put your hope in reason when you don’t even find it in the places where you would most expect it to be. She holds up the uniqueness of Jesus and his counter-cultural teachings and example as the only solution to the world's conflicts, she, who was once an atheist.
Admirably, she is secure enough to maintain her friendship with those who are still atheists. Her warm care and maturity shield her from cutting off relationships in the face of disagreements. Rather, she sincerely loves those who disagree with her. She maintains reasonableness with her finger on the pulse of the people of the nations and is refreshingly not formulaic. This brings to mind the way Jesus not only conversed with but how he saw the Syrophoenician woman and the Samaritan woman. Jesus is the master of listening, valuing, and being willing to challenge. These are commendable traits worthy to imitate in that they break down walls and build bridges.
Her testimony is believable as she doesn’t speak in platitudes but gently and respectfully gives reasons for the hope that she has in Jesus and in following him. She is able to express in words not only that it is true that God is good all the time and that all the time God is good, but also how it is true. That God is always good is undeniable, but it is rare to hear a person relay the sense of it so that it is believable and obvious that they truly believe it backed by a courage and willingness to die for it. As one who grew up with no words for my thoughts or feelings, a clear expression of what is going on in one’s mind and heart is an oasis of sanity amid a desert of group-think, a vineyard in the wilderness, a cool drink of water on a hot summer’s day. It is truly a gift from God to have been privileged to hear this courageous woman.
O Lord, would you help your servants who struggle to find the words to adequately explain your goodness so we too can offer this gift to others who want to know you using whatever communication gifts you have given us and would add unto us for your glory? Thank you for bringing to the fore those who can aptly display what it looks like when you give a person strength and dignity who can laugh at the days to come.
Is about-face a one and done?
You are to continuously listen for your commanding officer’s call to do an about-face—living a life of repentance is not a one time event.
I left home at age 17 and never wanted to return except for very short visits. The Lord brought it about that I would do an about-face and get to have extended time with two dear people I’d previously avoided, my mom, and my sister who suffered from anoxic brain injury during a hernia surgery at the age of two months. Mom did an about-face of her own to worship the true God. She professed her faith in, allegiance to, and love for Jesus. The Lord used his word to break down walls and build a bridge between us. I have warm memories of her getting up early each morning and reading the bible with joy as she focused on what she was learning of Jesus for as long as she could. When the time came for him to take her home, she was ready since her hope came to be in Jesus alone. I look forward to being close to her there worshiping God the Father, Jesus, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit together with her.
The sister I ignored and didn’t play with though we are very close in age has become a dear friend. She is a gift that I didn’t recognize until the Lord moved my heart to desire a relationship with her and called me to do an about-face. I cherish her and very much enjoy the things we get to do together. More than this, as I get to see her interact with young ones, I continue to learn from her patience, acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion. This is the same wisdom she had at around eight years old when I at around ten years old shouted at her, “I hate you!” and without missing a beat and matching my intensity, she said to me, “If you hate me then you hate God!” Upon hearing that response, I ran upstairs to my room, looked in the mirror, and like Peter, wept bitterly at the corruption inside with which I was forced to come face-to-face. That was the breakthrough moment the Lord would use to ready my heart to receive the gospel of Jesus when I would hear it years later. I didn’t have to be convinced that I am a sinner and wouldn’t make excuses (that I could believe) that would get me off the hook explaining away wrong behavior that was fueled by deceitful thoughts and disordered emotions. My sister was and is an instrument of grace in God’s hands to give me ears to hear the about-face call from Jesus who would save me from myself. He is not only my commanding officer but also my good shepherd who turns my worst failures into situations that glorify him more than if I had succeeded all along.
I’m finding that, at times, I need to do an about-face perhaps every other minute or even more often in my thoughts. I misspeak and have to make that right. I overdo and have to scrap it and start again to get the right balance. I am sorely grieved that I have been harsh, overbearing, envious, and clueless in my relationships. I haven’t said enough in the way of explanation which has opened the door for misunderstandings and then said too much feeling the need to re-address and clarify to set things right and get the proper meaning across. Although I have done an about-face in my attitudes and approach toward those who are precious to me, the internal changes continue as the need for them play out experientially. Becoming willing and available, I wait for the Lord’s gracious timing for reconciliation. If it is not me who will be trusted in their eyes, may they trust you, O Lord, and those you might send to be in their lives as your chosen instruments for them to come to Jesus.
The Lord uses family relationships and friendships to help us render to God our hearts and not our garments—to have a desire for him, an affection for him, and to be emotionally bonded to him as he directs the tangibles and the intangibles in our lives. It is equally important that we keep our wits about us as he moves our minds to stay on him through relationship challenges with others. I remain not knowing what to do yet knowing the one who does, eyes on the Lord, ever listening for his prompts, for how he is leading me, whether to stop, go, turn around, or wait. The about-faces are part of the process of being made holy as God is holy and before whom you can be still, with your eyes on him, never losing sight of the fact that he is God even in the face of relationships that are less than they could be.
Love things? Use people? The world's ways sometimes look completely turned around from God’s ways. Sometimes only God can tell the difference since only he sees the heart. About-face might be a cold military term yet the Lord warmly uses the concept to woo us to himself. The gift of repentance brings times of refreshing. The Lord's teachings fall on us like gentle summer rain. They train us to use the things he so generously gives us to love people. Rather than overthink it, simply observe Jesus' interactions.
A friend said it well that we sometimes think a person’s connection with us sets a precedent for their connection with God. It takes the pressure off knowing that is not the case. Yet in the same way we wish that God would not be disengaged, we also wish for the people we love to be happily connected with God and involved in our lives. At the same time, the Lord gives relationships as gifts and perfectly apportions those gifts according to his good pleasure. May the Lord lend us his tender might to empower us to be there for those whom he places in our path when being present for them would make an actual difference. And may he equally give us the grace of discernment to know those for whom our presence is not needed or wanted, that we would be on standby, available and willing to engage but at the same time happy to wait or accept not engaging.
Sometimes that entails becoming a living sacrifice to give to another in need or to refrain from giving to another who doesn't need or want what we have to offer. The very practice of doing what fits the occasion and not to please ourselves is counted as our spiritual worship to God. The suffering of self-denial is what produces perseverance which is the precursor to developing character and hope. I would have thought that people are who they are based on their character. This is how it ought to be, but because of our fallen state, we don't want to engage in a process that includes suffering as the first step or any step for that matter. Who we are is more driven by circumstances, the situations we find ourselves in. It's easier to be influenced by a group of people or by an errant way of thinking than to have the courage like Joseph, like Daniel, to stand alone if that's what it takes to obey God. If someone has something to gain, he acts one way. If someone has something to lose, she acts in a completely different way. We sometimes do or don't do an about-face to avoid suffering. We don't want to be put out. Studies have been done that show as much, and it is what we have come to expect.*
We ask the Lord to make us people of character who consistently respond to others with their good and God's glory in mind. Whether at school or at work, at home, on the train, or at a party, we would be true and loyal to God. We plead with God that he would instill a commitment in us to obey his word and follow Jesus, cognizant that he is right there with us to show us the right thing to do and give us hope regardless of whatever circumstance or situation we find ourselves in.
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~ Romans 5:3-5
The Lord has sovereignly placed us in the circumstance we are in for his glory. There is only one who never needed to do an about-face, though his disciples fought for him to. There is only one who loved and led the crowds to God in whatever manner was most apt but resisted their pull:
"Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. ~ Matthew 26:53-56
Jesus did not do an about-face to avoid suffering on the cross. His commitment to his people, his bride, his church is loud and clear. It takes God's strength for us to devote ourselves to live out, by his Spirit, that our colors are true, to not degenerate into chameleons, but to seek his glory in every place with every person. “By their fruits, you will know them.” Is it easy to tell what kind of tree you are? Only when we admit our weakness as branches will we run to him, the vine, for strength and connection. Jesus helps you to be still and to wait for him to direct your thoughts, words, and steps, whether it's to forward-march or to do an about-face, so as not to be blindsided by whatever difficulties come your way.
The Lord brings about new awakenings and opportunities to do an about-face in the right direction every day. You will see them when you are looking for them, or more accurately, when the Lord opens your eyes to those opportunities and drops them in your lap.
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? ~ Micah 6:8
“Let them know You alone—
whose name is Yahweh—
You are the One Most High
o’er all the earth.” ~ Psalm 83:18
* The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, 2000, 2002, Back Bay Books, p. 155, 162-163
June 9 - July 19, 2024
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