Walking Out Loud

Winning Spiritual Battles

By Galen Harrill / May 13, 2022 May 13, 2022

This is not really the post I planned on writing. Sometimes, however, life throws curve balls at you and you have to shift if you’re going to do anything with them. Especially when they’re coming at you from somewhere in left field instead of the pitcher’s mound; but I’ll leave the baseball analogies for now – I was never really good at baseball anyway… it’s been a bizarre couple of days and I’ll spare you the details.

Spiritual battles manifest themselves in the physical world as the various challenges we all face. Sometimes it is clear we are facing something truly evil but sometimes it’s not so clear. No matter, it’s still a spiritual battle since how we chose to face any challenge places us either in God’s will or outside of it. Right now, I’m just living in Psalm 3. I’m reminded the Lord is a shield around me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I affirm with David I will not fear the tens of thousands surrounding me. I will call on the Lord’s deliverance, remembering He delivers.

This is something remarkable with David – the context here is Absalom’s rebellion and the very real danger David was in to lose not only his kingdom but also his life. David is running away and operating on very little information – I kind of think verse one might even be a question Yet he doesn’t panic and it is not in his speed or the caliber of those with him David relies on. He is relying on God and recognizes true deliverance is always from Him. If we think this is an isolated incident, it’s not. It’s David’s M.O. Consider he wrote Psalm 34 when he faked insanity to get away from Abimelech. It worked. But when I say, “It worked,” I betray an attitude David didn’t have. David doesn’t say “It worked.” Rather, he writes in no uncertain terms that “God worked” – and will always work for His people. He didn’t praise himself for being so clever, he doesn’t even thank God for making him smart enough to outwit his enemy. David doesn’t consider it important enough to mention. What is important is God.

Now let’s consider ourselves. This is where we fall short. We forget in times of trouble that God has us. When we emerge unscathed or maybe slightly scratched from some danger, we often look back and say, “Thank God I did such and such,” emphasizing the ”I did” in our own actions and relegating God to some sort of supporting role or, worse, that of spectator who may throw out barely helpful pieces of advice we can take or leave at will. We speculate about how close of a call it all was and if things had been just a little different, we might have been ruined, chalking up our deliverance to chance. We learn the wrong lessons and believe we (emphasizing ourselves again) can somehow avoid all trouble if we are just a bit more careful. David sees all that as nonsense and his Psalms help us see what is really true – God is good, His constant attention is on us, and He delivers us from the myriad troubles that inevitably come our way.

Come Walk with Us!

Growing Faith

By Galen Harrill / April 29, 2022 May 9, 2022

It is so easy, like Peter, to step out with a conviction of faith onto the surface of the water, eyes riveted on Jesus, and believe fully in the power of God working in our lives. I believe it is easier still to see how God has led us somewhere out in the middle of a lake that’s a bit choppier than we bargained for and lose the faith that got us into the realm of the miraculous to begin with. We pray for something for years and when we see God moving us into the answer we wanted we can’t believe it because it stretches us beyond what we thought was possible. Or we are delivered from a pressing danger and think God saved us by the skin of our teeth rather than by His enormous ocean of grace. Most often, however, we recognize with great spiritual hindsight how God pulled us through our difficulties but doubt He can get us through our present dangers.

We are in good company. When we take a look at that great hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11 we see some amazing men and women whom the writer says the world wasn’t worthy of. Receiving their dead back, shutting mouths of lions, chalking up great victories. And suffering, dying, getting tortured for their faith. But when we dig down, we also find so many of them who did not always live out their faith. Rather, they gave in to fear and worry and chose to do things their own way instead of God’s way. I think in our times of weakness, we can be encouraged to know that people like us can become people like them. How?

First, I think we need to recognize faith is a journey, not a destination. Paul alluded to this in I Corinthians 13 when he said that many gifts will pass away but that faith, hope, and love remain as we move toward what God wants us to be. We are getting ever closer to God until we finally reach the goal of faith, the salvation of our souls (I Peter 1:9). Faith, therefore, must be applied to our entire lives in our ever-changing circumstances until God ultimately calls us home. Home is the destination – faith gets us there.

Second, we’ll hamstring ourselves with notions that since only God is perfect, we don’t need to try. Paul makes clear in Ephesians 4:13ff that spiritual maturity is possible now. Faith is the critical ingredient. He uses future tense, comparing us to babies in comparison to what we will be, growing, “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Whole. Fullness. That’s strong, definitive, end-game-in-this-life language we dare not ignore.

Finally, one of my favorite Proverbs is Proverbs 13:20, which tells us to walk with the wise so we will become wise. It’s the same with faith! If we want to be people of faith, we need to walk with people of faith! The writer of Hebrews speaks of a cloud of witnesses in chapter 12, referring again to that hall of fame of faith in chapter 11. But that hall of fame is not limited to those in our Bibles. It’s also about those we are with in our church homes. That’s why the same author makes a point of telling us to keep meeting together (Hebrews 10:25)! From our family’s personal experience, I can tell you one of the biggest helps to the strengthening of our faith has been to be with those whose faith is strong, learning their wisdom, learning to be patient, learning to see Jesus. Do I do it perfectly yet? No – but I’m working on it. And we’ll get there together….

Come Walk with Us!

Getting Spiritually Fed

By Galen Harrill / April 21, 2022 April 29, 2022

“I’m just not getting fed!” I can pretty much guarantee when someone says that they won’t stay at their church much longer. But Christianity is full of paradoxes and in this idea of feeding there is another; if you spend your spiritual life looking for food, you won’t find it.

Jesus’ words about spiritual and physical nourishment are often enmeshed. Consider – in Matthew 6:25-26, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat. He then points us to the birds in the air and says they are fed by God Himself. The point, as Martin Luther points out, is to get about the business of living life as God intended and God will take care of your needs. It’s the same in our spiritual nourishment. When we do what God wills, we will be spiritually fed. Consider Jesus in John 4. He is moving through Samaria and while His disciples are trying to find food, Jesus is talking with the woman at the well. Jesus, always keeping in mind what God wants, speaks to the woman about spiritual matters. When the disciples return, they are surprised to find Jesus talking to her. As she runs off to the village to tell everyone about finding the Christ, the disciples encourage Jesus to eat. He tells them He has food they don’t know about. After expressing their confusion, Jesus explains His food is to do the will of the one who sent Him.

Understand please – Jesus is sitting there, tired from a long journey. He engages this woman in a serious discussion. It revitalizes Jesus. He sees a harvest in front of Him. The woman hadn’t even given Him water as far as we know. If Jesus had focused on His thirst or His hunger, He would have missed an opportunity. He would not have been doing God’s will. And He would have remained weak and needy.

Is this a corrective? Absolutely. When we are feeling spiritually starved, this is not the time to look for people who are going to feed us. Rather, it is a time to spiritually feed others; to serve; to keep in mind the things of God. Returning to Matthew 6, Jesus ends the matter this way – seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness – and He’ll supply our need.

Come Walk with Us!

True to the Truth

By Galen Harrill / April 7, 2022 April 7, 2022

Who says Bible translations can’t be funny? I remember reading Acts 17:5 for what was probably the first time several decades ago in my old NIV and laughing out loud at the part about “rounding up some bad characters from the marketplace” like we were somewhere at the OK corral and not in Thessalonica. Other translations have “lewd fellows of the baser sort,” “wicked men of the rabble,” and “thugs.” I used to go into Bible bookstores and look this stuff up!

The content, however, is serious. My wife pointed this out in our Bible class this past Sunday as our teacher had us look at the context. So, Paul and Silas (and some others not named) are in Thessalonica convincing people about the truth of who Jesus is and quite a few people become Christians because of it. Paul had the weight of truth on his side as was clear from the scriptures he taught from. Pristine logic applied to true historical accounts bore fruit. Win/win!

Except there is another group who was not having any of what Paul was saying. Verse 5 says they were jealous, but another thing is clear too – they were willing to use any means to stop what Paul was doing. Any means. Hm. This is weird. Because these jealous types were from good God’s-chosen-people stock. They had the law and the prophets. They knew about justice and righteousness, mercy and humility, and the consequences of bearing false witness. Yet, when confronted with the truth and the power of that truth, they turn to the darker side of humanity and try to beat the life out of truth. In doing this, they completely obliterate their credibility as good-faith seekers of truth. This is not honest doubt they harbor, it’s rather evil malice revealing their hypocrisy.

What I want to get to is this – the truth wins by being true, not by clubbing opposing arguments into silence. I love what Peter says in I Peter 3 – “always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have – but do this with humility and respect, keeping a clear conscience….” I’ve got to admit – sometimes people say things against my faith that really bother me. It’s at times like these I need to make sure I am being true to the One who is Truth Himself. Sometimes the avalanche of untruth in the world can make it tempting for us to fight the proverbial fire with fire – they play unfair, we’ll play unfair. That is never Jesus’ way. More subtle however, is when I am challenged in my belief with someone else’s deeply held convictions. I have found when I feel threatened in these situations it’s because I haven’t thought something out clearly enough. I’m not ready with an answer. That’s the time to listen; that’s the time to explore. I may find I was right and come out on the other side stronger because of it. Or I may find I was wrong and come out on the other side better because I listened, explored, studied, and appealed to God for wisdom. Acts 17:4 shows there were those in Thessalonica of that kind. I pray we are too….

Come Walk with Us!

Hope in Romans 5

By Galen Harrill / March 30, 2022 March 30, 2022

Our Bibles have a lot to say about suffering and character development, but Paul ups the ante by connecting the whole thing to hope in Romans 5. I’m not sure we understand hope very well anyway (I’ve certainly heard plenty of confusing lessons on the subject); but tying hope to suffering fairly makes the mind spin. Let’s break it down.

Romans 5:2 talks about rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. This isn’t too difficult – as He is glorious, we too will be glorious as He intended at our creation as we one day stand in His glorious presence. In the meantime, however, we are trudging rather ingloriously through a tough world that lacerates glory. And I think this is where we get off track because too often the word “hope” sounds like a hollow howl in the wind whistling of some far-off place we can only get to through death, which, frankly, scares us. Someday we will be transformed – in the twinkling of an eye. But that day! When? To the God who looks at a day as a thousand years and a thousand years like a day… wow. If only we could have some foretaste of it now.

But that’s really where Romans 5:1-11 is going if we read it carefully. You see, what’s happening is we are justified with God through Jesus by faith. In other words, this is something we have already. Not feeling it? Hold on – because we have something else too. We have God pouring His love into us by the Holy Spirit – and this is one side of that foretaste. It resonates with us because it’s exactly the kind of love we long for, need, and know is true deep in our God-imaged selves.

Yet the world will do its worst. It’ll throw everything it can at us, ridicule us, rage at us, ignore us, you name it. And this is suffering. But suffering through it is the kind of exercise that produces perseverance – just like suffering through some physical workout can get you that physical endurance. But the whole time I’m living by the Spirit, pumping the love the Spirit is pouring into my heart. And I come out of it a better person – a person of character. And this is the other side of hope – because as I look at the person I am becoming, as I am developing a character that looks more and more like God’s character, as I am testing the strength to live as He wants and finding it true, I can see the glorious creature God is making me into! So, this hope is no longer hollow – it is filled with rock-solid evidence of the power of God working in our lives – the power to transform, the power to resurrect, the power to never disappoint, the power to save….

Come Walk with Us!

Biblical Peace in a Time of War

By Galen Harrill / March 24, 2022 March 30, 2022

Peace. This is where the rubber meets the road. Even as I write, the city of Mariupol, Ukraine has been wiped off the map at the hands of a twisted world leader who doesn’t seem afraid to enter World War III. Every other conflict up to this point in my memory seems like a skirmish by comparison. But even skirmishes are deadly to those who are in them, and something is always up – which leads us to a reality I think some of us would rather deny – we are never going to have world peace. There will always be injustice and unrighteousness in the world, selfishness, envy, and jealousy – and these things lead to conflict. However, in this very horrifying current situation, we must understand some things very clearly because we run the risk of widening a rift between our faith on the one hand and what we consider the day to day living of our lives on the other – something James might call “double minded.” (James 1:8)

To be honest, we are always in danger of “spiritualizing” our walk with Christ, forgetting He walked this earth with us in very physical form – but this rift becomes much more evident and even dangerously intentional when we’ve seen the world go crazy like it has this past month and we scramble for answers to questions we usually just ignore. So here it is – when we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven it’s because it is not done on earth. And it will not be done on earth until everyone submits to the Lordship of Jesus. How far are we from that point? You know as well as I that just affirming Jesus as the way and the only way often leads to violent verbal rebuttal as we are labeled spiritual bigots. This affirmation of the exclusivity of Christ is scary to the unsaved world and I’m afraid way too often we shirk our responsibility to the lost because we don’t want to frighten anyone or arouse ire.

But it is equally true in times of great upheaval and war, when the world draws up actual physical battle lines and evil shows its true face, that the spiritual battle lines become sharp and we see our call to action clearly. Not just any action, however. Not as equal instruments of violence, not as instruments of coercion. But rather as instruments of peace as we hold on to the word of life (Philippians 2:16). We must understand this like crystal – our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:10-18). It’s against Satan. And Satan’s power has been on full display this month.

We usually understand something about these difficulties is in our own lives – Jesus never promises His people a lack of conflict. As long as we are in the world, we will experience it. While it is not anywhere in His desire, He recognizes the conflict He brings to His people as He redraws the battle lines and snatches us from Satan’s clutches. Jesus clarifies this conflict most sharply in Matthew 10:34 when He states He does not bring peace, but a sword. Our own family can become caustically opposed to us as we move from darkness to light. Paul makes clear in Romans 12:18 that as far as it is up to us, we are to live in peace with everyone, but this demonstrates we are only one side of an equation. If someone chooses not to live in peace with us because of our faith or for whatever other reason, that is not on us. Peter acknowledges we may suffer for doing good (I Peter 3:14), but states that even so, we are blessed.

If all this war-like and conflict imagery seems counter to the fruit of peace in Galatians 5:22, let’s get down to it. We, as children of God, are uniquely and exclusively qualified to create peace. But we need a firm grip on the concept. The peace Jesus gives us is of a far different quality than anything the world has to offer as He affirms in John 14:27. It surpasses understanding as Paul states in Philippians 4:7. But that doesn’t mean we can’t grasp it. Let’s grasp it.

First, when we talk of peace, the Biblical peace we see in the New Testament, we see it is tied directly to the reality of salvation found in Jesus. When Jesus was born, listen to what the angels said in Luke 2:14 – “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” This is not simply a parallel to, but rather the substance of salvation – peace! It is the power behind Jesus’ words in John 14:27 as He contrasts what He offers in comparison to the world. Peter affirms peace as salvation to Cornelius in Acts 10:36. Even the warlike imagery of Ephesians 6:15 has Christians rushing into spiritual battle not to commit bloodshed, but rather fitted in readiness with the gospel of peace!

But this peace also is reconciliation. This is first and foremost reconciliation to God as we see in Romans 5. Through Jesus Christ we have peace with God as verse one clearly states. Verse ten states we are no longer enemies with God because of Jesus’ death. Whole swaths of the book of Hebrews speak of this reconciliation we have because of Christ (chapters 9 and 10 for example), but this passage in Romans nails down the concept tightly – the peace made in Jesus is reconciliation with the Father.

This reconciliation is also between people – but this is important to note, it is only between people who chose Jesus as the peace between them. Ephesians 2:14 affirms Jesus is our peace. Is. Through Him, and only through Him do we have peace! We don’t come to one another and try to hash out peace. We cannot come to each other in our own strength and find peace. We cannot hope to make peace. We can only come to Jesus – and He is our peace!

So we come to this fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22. And we come to a world devoid of peace. And we ask how they relate. For ourselves, knowing where our salvation lies, we have no reason to fear anything. The peace we have in Christ is sure, and even if the worst happens to us, we know we stand saved from all trouble as Romans 8:35-39 affirms. This certainly doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble, but as Jesus also said the same night He was betrayed, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As we are transformed by the Spirit, we come to realize this more and more as we grow in Christ, and it does, in fact, surpass understanding; to much of the world it seems totally insane. And that’s the thing – we are also in this world – and this peace, this salvation, this bold assurance, this fruit of the Spirit, is made to be shared. As the events of this past month have shown, the need to share is urgent and this closes the gap between our faith and our walk in this crazy, messed-up world. The world, as the world, will continue to rattle sabers and make war – but many in the world, because of us, will come to peace. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation….” Isaiah 52:7

Come Walk with Us!

Five Steps to Knowing the Bible

By Galen Harrill / March 23, 2022 March 23, 2022

A few years ago, a preacher friend of mine asked the provocative question, “If you were stranded on a deserted isle and had no Bible, would you know enough scripture to sustain you?” A bit embarrassing, but I thought about Gilligan before recalling to mind Robinson Crusoe’s 28-year exile – except Crusoe doesn’t quite fit. He had a Bible. But what if he hadn’t? And what if I didn’t? I don’t ever plan to be very far from a Bible, and I can’t imagine finding myself totally cut off from civilization – but do we not often find ourselves in situations that are much like a deserted island in the middle of a sea of unbelief, ill-equipped to spiritually navigate our way clear? Surely, we think, scripture has some word of wisdom or escape here, but we can’t recall what it is – and so a perfect opportunity to put faith into practice is lost.

It was at my friend’s prompting I decided I needed to do some serious spiritual restructuring of my brain. I needed to ensure I had appropriate hooks to hang my faith on so I could make the most of every opportunity as Paul encourages us to do in Ephesians 5:16. Believe me, I still have a long way to go. Paul’s words to the Philippians ring true in my life – “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect….” But I have made some conscious decisions to build some spiritual muscle. These are some of the things that have helped.

First don’t get overwhelmed by the task. The Bible is a big book and sometimes, when it’s sitting there, you can think, “I’m never going to know that like I want to.” You are right about that. None of us will. But growing is important. In I Peter 2:2-3, Peter says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” When we start out this way it’s a good start. We will eventually grow to handle a more substantial diet.

Second, and related to the first, read your Bible and mark up passages that get you to think. When you go through again, you’ll see those marks and it will prompt you to think more deeply about what you are reading the second, third… one hundredth time you read it again. I can’t tell you how many times I see some little note I made in the margin of my Bible, sometimes 20 years ago, and it spurs me to some completely new understanding I hadn’t thought of before.

Third, as you are reading along, try to remember the content of what is in the various books of the Bible. Lots of Bibles have subheadings that aren’t original, but they can be helpful. Where can I find the Sermon on the Mount? Well, that’ll be Matthew 5-7. Peter talks to Cornelius in Acts 10. The letters to the seven churches? Revelation 2 and 3. You can also memorize how many chapters are in various books. John has 21 chapters. Isaiah, 66. And if you find yourself saying, “Oh, I think Genesis has about 50 chapters but don’t quote me on that,” or “I think Gideon is in Judges 5 or 6,” that’s okay too. You’re getting a feel for things. Memorizing the books of the Bible in order is also helpful.

Fourth, memorize passages of scripture. Don’t get caught up in memorizing something long or hard if you don’t have it in you to do so. And if something just isn’t sticking, go ahead and work on something else. That’s okay. For me, it’s a lot like running. Sometimes, like in the summer when the days are long and I have more time, I can work on longer runs. When it’s winter and the days are short and I’ve got a lot going on, I don’t run as far. Sometimes I can tackle the hills, sometimes I’ve got to choose the track. Life also has its seasons, and we will need to adjust. Just have something to work on you can handle.

Finally, if you get off-track and find you’ve missed a few days, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back to it. Slightly out of context, but again, Paul can help here – “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 3:13…

…maybe I’m about ready to get on a boat….

Come Walk with Us!

How to Love Like Jesus

By Galen Harrill / March 17, 2022 March 23, 2022

While reading through Philippians the other day I came across a phrase Paul used when speaking about how he felt toward the brothers and sisters there. He said he longed for them with the affection of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:8). Affection is kind of a weird word and it made me wonder – Paul must be talking about the love of Christ, right? Why not just say that? I figured if I explored a little bit, this might have something to say about how to love like Jesus. So, I did a little digging.

I wasn’t quite ready for the intensity. The concept was a box I hadn’t really touched since high school some thirty-plus years ago. At the time, my wrestling with the terms had more to do with navigating my personal relationships and being an adolescent….

You see, I wrote lots of letters to lots of friends from Christian summer camp. That’s right, actual paper, envelopes, and stamps. Anyway, I judged “sincerely” as a completely uncool way to end a letter. So, with guys I could write, “Love you man,” and that was all understood – they were your bros or whatever we call them these days. “Love you girl,” besides being condescending, could lead to all sorts of misunderstanding so…. “Love in Christ.” That put a little distance there while still reaching out. That was safe….

Except it’s not. And if we haven’t thought about this since high school, perhaps it’s high time we did since this is what Jesus expects of us in our relationships with our brothers and sisters. Because it gets real deep, real quick. Cross. Think cross. “Demonstrating His own love for us in this – while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Do we get it? I’m not sure – because this “affection” word is still out there and it’s still a little pastel for me.

The true color – are we ready for it? “I long for all of you in the guts of Christ.” Yeah. That’s it. That’s how Paul put it, that’s what the Philippians heard. Visceral. The word “love” is not used. We find that elsewhere. But this surely communicates something about the depth of feeling Paul had. It isn’t safe. It doesn’t stand at a distance from Christ and observe His children standing around the cross from the outside. Rather, it crawls inside and becomes one with Him as we are transformed into His likeness, longing for relationship. A gutsy love. Imagine what our churches will look like when we get it….

Come Walk with Us!

A Plague of Frogs and God’s Power in His People

By Galen Harrill / March 14, 2022 March 17, 2022

What six-year-old boy doesn’t like frogs? I kept an eagle eye out for any frog-like hopping from my grandpa’s lap as he drove the old Sears lawn tractor over the yard in Michigan. We’d stop at every movement, and I’d jump down and scoop up leopard frogs, rescuing them from the mower blades and placing them safely in a box to keep as pets for the day. Win-win! I’d dream of frogs – boxes full of the slippery jumpy creatures, all mine! So, like every little boy I knew in Sunday school, I had a hard time making sense of the words “plague” and “frog” placed so close together in Exodus 7. “What would you do if you could catch as many frogs as you wanted?” we’d ask each other. “I’d keep them in a box!” we’d all answer. Naturally. Six-year-old boys.

But a plague it was – and a significant one as it was the last sign Moses performed the magicians of Egypt could reproduce by their “secret arts.” And it got me thinking – what am I supposed to think about this? Consider this – God tells Moses to go to Egypt and perform some signs to prove God is with him. He goes, and everything he shows the Egyptians they can copy. Snakes from walking sticks? Got it. Water to blood? Ew, gross, but okay, done. Frogs? This is getting weirder, but hey, the six-year-olds like it… and then the gnats. The magicians are done. Can’t do it. They tell Pharoah, “This is the finger of God!”

And this is what I came up with – the world can imitate God’s ways for a while. But then it can’t. Let’s take it out of the plagues. That was just the catalyst for this train of thought. Let’s put it into something much more palatable to those of us who are not six-year-old boys – say, love. Jesus sends us out like a Moses into a captive world and tells us to love one another. It’s the sign that Jesus is our Lord and that we are His disciples (John 13:35). Jesus says everyone will see it. Everyone will know it. It’s got God’s prints all over it!

You see, the power behind the staff to the snake, the water to blood, the frogs – it was all God. The magicians see his fingers – later they will see His mighty hand and outstretched arm! It was unmistakable, finally even to Pharoah! But when God’s love is poured out into our hearts by the power of the Spirit (Romans 5:5); or when His incomprehensible peace guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7); or when we are filled with indescribable joy (I Peter 1:8) – it is something the world can only dimly sketch. It can never duplicate, and it finally has to admit this is God’s doing – and it has the power to free us all!

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength

By Galen Harrill / March 11, 2022 March 11, 2022

I love that opening chapter in “The Hobbit” where Bilbo Baggins says, “Good morning” to Gandalf. Gandalf asks some probing questions – “What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”

Now I admit – I love a play on words. Most of the time I understand them as such. But sometimes….

I have always wrestled with what, exactly, Nehemiah means when he declares, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Does he mean the joy you feel in God is your strength? Or that God has placed joy within you and that is your strength? Or maybe it’s actually the Lord’s own joy that is supposed to be your strength… hmmm….

This is where you get down to context. God’s people had spent seventy years in exile because of their sins, something that broke God’s heart – but He had to do it if He was ever going to have a relationship with them again. The people returned – scared, small, and unsure of themselves. Nehemiah returns and marshals them to action, and they rebuild the city wall around Jerusalem. Then they all get together and listen to the words of the law. All the commands, all the blessings, all the curses. It’s too raw for them! They know what exile feels like, they were there! They know the stories their mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles all told about the war. The famine. The dying. The humiliation. They know it was their own fault, and as they are listening to Ezra read the law, they break down in tears, chained to the past.

Oh… but God. You see, God is not having any of that today! He’s been waiting these seventy years too – anguished at their suffering and their humiliation. Seventy lonely years. But now they are back! And His joy is unbridled! Nehemiah calls them to this joy!

“People! You’ve got to understand! God has wanted this from the beginning of this terrible exile thing! He has longed for you and waited for this day! There is no reason to be sad or fearful, this is not the day to cry over your past sins! That’s the past, this is now – this is the welcome home party He’s been planning for 70 years! No crying here. Let His joy strengthen you to remove your insecurities and doubt!”

And yet… how about us? Do we get Luke 15:7 and 10 and that whole “more rejoicing in Heaven” talk Jesus gave? God is crazy about us! We come broken and beat up from all our own self-abuse. Let’s get this straight – we’ve run ourselves through the mill. And yet. When we turn to God. When we finally turn to him. Ashamed and scared like the prodigal in Luke 15:19-20. God runs to us – unable to keep His joy in check, looking us over with our ripped clothes, black eyes, mud-streaked faces, and bloody knuckles and falling over Himself with happiness at the prize He has in us! That’s what Nehemiah is talking about – there is nothing in this world as fortifying as knowing you’ve made someone happy – and if that happens to be God – with all the joy of eternity focused on you – how great is that strength?

Blog

Come Walk with Us!

Come Walk with Us!

Come Walk with Us!

Come Walk with Us!

Come Walk with Us!

Come Walk with Us!

Come Walk with Us!

Come Walk with Us!