Shredded...

The day started out as a fairly typical day. My wife sent me in on a couple errands, one of which included going to the grocery store to pick up some groceries. My errands also included washing the car. So anyway… At the grocery store as I arrive at check out… I slipped my debit card into the slot and entered my four digit pin, accidentally fat fingering the numbers. Declined! No problem… I entered the four digit pin again… Still declined! What in the world? I pay with another card and decided to stop by the bank to see what was going on with my card. The bank teller took a look at my card, checked my account, then informed me my card had been hacked. With one swift move, she reaches down behind the counter with my card, and I hear a whrrrr.

Shredded!

What?????  Noooooo!!!

She printed me a new card… Handed it to me and told me to have a nice day… Not realizing I was going to be spending the next four hours going through all of my different accounts assigned to my old debit card to put in my new one.

I thought this was all because I had fat fingered my pin number at Family Fare. But when I got home, I had an email in my inbox from my bank showing me that somebody had hacked the card and tried to make a charge somewhere within the two blocks between the car wash and Family Fare.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this story, but I realized when all of this happened yesterday, I was supposed to write a blog post about it.

Lord? What do you want me to know about my shredded debit card?

“Resource protection and preservation. Read Judges 21 for further details.”

What a crazy story! Judges 21 is all about the nation of Israel, making a vow to God to wipe out one of their tribes, the tribe of Benjamin. When they come to the point the tribe of Benjamin only has 600 men left, with no wives, they start feeling sorry for Benjamin and tried to connive their way around the vow they made to God to preserve the line of Benjamin. Their solution included taking 400 virgins from Jabesh-gilead (and killing everyone else in the city). then hosting a festival at Shiloh and kidnapping 200 virgins while they danced. You can’t make this stuff up!

Why did the Lord allow all of this to happen so that the tribe of Benjamin would not be shredded from the nation of Israel? Why was the preservation of Benjamin so important? Especially to you and I? Interesting enough… 2/3 of what we know of the New Testament would not have been written. You see… The Apostle Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin.

So… back to my shredded debit card…

God was showing me He is a protector and preserver of my resources. He is always watching out for me. He's got my "6". Even those times I'm about to suffer loss, He is my protector. He is my strong shield.

It is also comforting to know, rash decisions and harsh choices I make in my life, will always resolve into a redemptive solution from God’s loving hand as his Bold Freedom Fighter.

Psalm 18:2-3 The Lord is my protector;

He is my strong fortress.

My God is my protection,

and with him I am safe.

He protects me like a shield;

he defends me and keeps me safe.

I call to the Lord,

and he saves me from my enemies.

Praise the Lord!

Romans 8:28. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.