by Rev Douglas Brauner

God plants the flag of his love over our lives.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

The flag flying in this picture is probably not the first thing you notice when you look at this photograph. In fact, I cropped the picture that the flag might appear in the blog’s banner. I didn’t notice it until I thought about using this picture for a blog. However, as soon as I noticed the flag I came up with the title, and then a Scripture passage, for this blog.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

The U.S. flag that flies over these buildings represents all that we are as a country. It stands for all of our struggles and joys, our victories and defeats.

“You have made your people experience hardships. You have given us wine that makes us stagger. Yet, you have raised a flag for those who fear you so that they can rally to it when attacked by bows and arrows.” 
Psalm 60:3-4 God’s Word to the Nations

The psalmist writes these words as Israel has experienced sorrow, hardships, and defeat. This perspective of God probably makes us uncomfortable. “You have made your people experience hardships.” Is this the kind of God in which we want to believe? Isn’t God suppose to make life better for us? Isn’t he suppose to take away our pain?

This picture of God might make us uncomfortable, yet the last part of this text reveals God’s aim in all our struggles. He plants his flag over our lives. His flag represents the pain of the cross, and the victory of his resurrection. His flag represents all that he is, and all that he has done for us. We can rally under the flag of God’s love when we are attacked by the bows and arrows of our enemy, Satan.

More important than where we plant our flags is the fact that God has planted his flag over us. As such, all that we are, all of our flags, submit to his great love for us.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado