The antidote to your weariness

In historical battles, armies met face to face. The aim was to drive into and through the enemy lines. In particularly fierce battles, as an army pushed through, soldiers could often find themselves alone on the other side, in enemy territory. A rallying call would then be issued by the standard bearer, to call the soldiers to fall back and regroup, so that they could fight together again. The standard or ensign bearer held the banner or flag aloft, which was there to remind them who they belonged to, who they fought for and why. As long as that banner was still held up, they were not overrun, they were not defeated.

Often, as they pushed out, the cry was:

“For King and Country!”

Sunday night, I was at a gathering of local Christians where we were asked if anyone was feeling weary. Without hesitation, nearly every adult there raised their hand.

In my interactions elsewhere, I am aware that this is not a unique scenario. Many of us are weary, feeling isolated and like we are alone in enemy territory. Sometimes we wonder if the battle will ever end and whether we still have it in us to fight another day.

So I want to issue a rallying call.

I am raising the banner of Christ high and calling us back to refocus and remember.

At this time of weariness and even some hopelessness, I call us back to look again to King Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith; to look to His glory and majesty and be reminded that the victory is already won through His death and resurrection.

I call us back to remember and be reminded of the way in which we have experienced the Kingdom break through in the past, so that we can hold on to the hope that it will again; that victory in this battle is close at hand – we are coming to the final push! Just as we are feeling pushed to - or even past - our limit, we need to dig deep and hold on. We need to regroup and reconnect with like-minded friends, who will also help us keep our focus on our King.

Victory is coming!

On Sunday night, as we prayed into this weariness I was reminded of Ephesians 6. In this allusion to the battle there is a point where we are called, when we have done all else, simply to stand. Sometimes that is all we can do.

“…after you have done everything,…stand”

Recently, God has repeatedly reminded me of the importance of this in a number of scenarios. Sometimes that is all He is asking us to do. Sometimes, rather than all the other things we believe we might be doing in our ministry or life in general, what we are actually doing is simply standing in a space, and through that very act of obedience we are holding ground that otherwise the enemy would have overrun. Raise your banner high! Hold your ground!

And even as we stand there, HIS banner over us is His love, which keeps us and protects us.

Keep standing firm – He is coming!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Heb 12:1-3

Rest on the Run

We went to see the third Hobbit movie the other night. What a marathon! About two hours into a movie that lasts just shy of two and half hours, I whispered to my husband, "I'm exhausted!" Without really needing to give a spoiler alert, possibly two hours of the movie is devoted to battle scenes. Toward the end of course (and this is a spoiler alert if you couldn't see it coming), just when you think all is sure to be lost and the few that are left have no more energy, the eagles swoop in and save what is left of the day, completely routing the enemy.

Something about this movie struck a chord with me, mainly because I have felt like I am in an ongoing battle on a number of fronts for most of the past year. I have been feeling exceptionally tired. At times I have wondered whether I can continue and sometimes I have wondered what I am even fighting for - does it even make a difference or is the outcome already decided? At the end of the movie, I found myself almost tearfully whispering, "God, send Your eagles, it is time for Your eagles. I need your eagles."

As I reflected on this over the next few days two things came to mind. The first was the words, "The battle belongs to the Lord". This well known verse comes from 1 Samuel 17:47, where David is proclaiming his victory against Goliath before it had happened. Although the context probably suggests this means the victory belongs to God, the perception I saw was that although I may have a role to play in the battle, it is not my battle; it is His. I don't have to take responsibility for the outcome.

The second part of my reflection was regarding how I can find rest and restoration in the midst of my battle-weary state. What does rest look like when you can't afford to let your guard down for a minute? 

I realised that the place of rest is in worship. Our battle song is one of worship of our great God. This reminds me of some of the Old Testament stories, where the people sang as they went to physical battle. As we worship, our eyes turn to God, and we see things from His perspective, particularly who God is and what He is about. This brings us hope and refreshing.

My end point on this reflection was the realisation that we actually have an opportunity to be the eagles. As I thought of verses about eagles in the Bible, I was immediately reminded of the promise from Isaiah 40:31

"they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." 

It is not something that comes automatically, though. We cannot rouse this strength by our own acts or abilities. It comes from waiting on the Lord. Not just stopping, but waiting in expectation and hope that He will show up and show us the way forward. And I think we must wait as long as it takes, as opposed to getting impatient and going on in our own strength and ways.

Personally, I think I probably need to practice that sort of waiting bit a little more.