Encouragement

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They come at dusk, sometimes by the tens, sometimes by the hundreds and thousands. They constantly probe our defenses and harass us all night long. Who are these shadowy creatures so bent on our destruction, who spew their venom through the wire, getting into our heads without ever being seen?

They promise freedom and all kinds of pleasures to those of us who will turn and betray our leader. Will I fall? Will I too be a casualty of this war, the greatest of all wars?

Many of us already have succumb to their constant dripping of lies and have slipped through the wire to never be seen again, but there is a remnant of us who hang on. Watching and waiting for the dawn and the arrival of our King.

He is the one who will make this last desperate battle worth fighting, but sometimes I too forget and like a mesmerized insect drifting powerlessly toward the glowing bug zapper, I drift toward the trappings of this world.

Will I make it through the night? Will I betray my King? No..! I know better, I grew up in their camp. Their promises are empty and their freedom is shallow and empty, slavery in disguise and void of substance.

My King’s promises pull me back! His words echo in my thoughts, though softer, and gentler than the shadow creatures just outside the perimeter. His words bring peace to my soul in this time of great war.

He reminds me still, whispering my name. “I will never leave you, never forsake you.” And “..stand firm. Let nothing move you…your labor for the King is not in vain.” In these words I am strengthened, more resolute. I am so much more able to be patient and wait for his arrival. My vision becomes locked on future glory and not the present longings of my flesh.

As I weather this latest attack and shore up my defenses, I am reminded of a film which also inspires me to not only hang on, but to take the fight to the enemy as well. Surely it was an inspired moment for the writer as we see this General come out on the field of battle to address his troops against a numerically superior army. It goes something like this:

“What will you do? Will you fight?” He spoke with great authority and confidence. “No, we will run and we will live,” came the reply from the frightened soldiers.

“You’re right, you may run, and you may live, but what will you do, lying in your beds, so many years from now? Would you be willing, to take all the years from this day to that, for one chance.., one chance to come back here and tell our enemies, you may take our lives, but you’ll never take our freedom!”

And so it was imagined and penned from the author, the words spoken by William Wallace in the film “Braveheart.” Surely this is an inspiring thought capturing the essence of scripture in our own spiritual struggles.

What has always amazed me about the Lord is the miracle that we can constantly be at war in this world and yet in the midst of all, still know the peace that surpasses all human understanding.

One day perhaps, we will sit around a great hall and tell stories of how we were once soldiers. How we not only survived the great war, but were more than conquerors!

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