Nehemiah said, “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there.  Our God will fight for us” (Nehemiah 4:20 NIV). 

Several months ago, I watched a fascinating television special on how bees deal with attacks from their dreaded enemy, the tick.  When a bee is under attack, it goes into a wild dance, which acts as a signal to the other bees.  They quickly surround him, fasten their strong jaws over the tick, and rip it off.

As I watched, I realized that we in the body of Christ could learn a lot from those bees.  We are much more likely to hide our problems from each other than to give a signal that would let others know we need help.  We are also much more likely to criticize than to help when we see a brother or sister doing a “wild dance” that indicates that they are under attack.

When the Israelite’s enemies were attacking them while they were trying to rebuild the wall, Nehemiah told the people, “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there.  Our God will fight for us.”   This television special reminded me that one of the ways God has given us to overcome Satan is by letting other Christians know when we are under attack.  We can also help to defeat him by joining in the battle, rather than criticizing, when others are his target.

Holy Spirit, enable us to let go of our pride so that we won’t need to fight our battles alone.  Amen.

(Devotional adapted from Homespun Faith, Reflections from the Seasons of Life, copyright 2014 Daisy Beiler Townsend. Available as paperback or ebook: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Xulon Press. There are Links on this website on the Where to Buy Homespun Faith and Sarah’s Legacy page.  Locally at Fresh Grounds, M & M Grocery, Penn Alps in Grantsville, Maryland, or from me 724-373-8445.)