The United States army used to have a specially trained group that fought not on foot but on horses. They were a fierce group named the Cavalry. Old cowboy movies often included a cavalry in their stories. At the point of greatest danger for the hero, when it appeared there was no way out, you would hear the trumpet and then the cavalry would rush in to save the day. Today, some movies still use the cavalry concept, but the cavalry is now replaced by Avenger spaceships or superheroes who arrive just in the nick of time (with exciting background music)—and audiences still scream with excitement!
Similar to cavalries, God is never too late, even if we think the curtain has come down and the lights have gone out. At times, we pray and believe and think we know the perfect time for God to show up, like a scripted movie cavalry. And if that does not happen, we may find it difficult to keep our hope alive and sometimes even our faith. I am thinking of a man who walked away from Jesus because he prayed and prayed, and still his mother died. He said God failed him and instead of seeking God’s help to find peace without his mother, he left before the cavalry arrived.
I am also thinking of the many times God showed up immediately. That happened when a family returned home after a great church service. The parents were indoors setting up for dinner while the children played outside. Suddenly, the parents heard screeching tires and loud screams. They ran and saw their eight-year old son sprawled out in the middle of the street; a car had run over him. Even in the chaos, the parents called on the name of Jesus over and over and after what seemed like an eternity, that child sat up. At the hospital even the doctors called it a miracle because there was no internal damage, only a few external scratches where the car ran over the child’s midsection. God’s cavalry!
I am thinking of a man who was a top performer at his job, awaiting promotion. His family, close-knit church, and community were all proud of him; he was their hero! Upper management called him into the office and instead of promoting him, they downsized or released him from the company. He was enraged and in shock for quite a while and he questioned God because none of it made sense. Yet over time, he calmed down enough to look at employment alternatives and within a year and half (of being unemployed), he set up his own business, and it is thriving. He never thought of using his outstanding skills to run his own company and hire others, treating them the way he would want to be treated. God’s cavalry came from an unexpected direction.
So one person blocked God’s cavalry, another received instant rescue, and the third had to hold on until God’s cavalry appeared. God never promised to meet our timing or expected outcome. Yet as Jesus hung on the cross of a place that sounds like “cavalry” but is spelled differently (Calvary), that hill where he gave his life for us, we were promised that we are now saved, forgiven, and divinely protected. That Calvary promises that “He who began a good work in me will continue until the day of Christ” (Phil 1:6). It promises that God will always show up for us according to God’s will, timing, and purpose. Therefore, your victory music is always playing in your life, just listen, just listen. Your “cavalry” and your “Calvary” are already here. You will never be defeated!
God bless you!
Pastor Janice Fareed Hardy
