When You Want To Throw Crinkled Up Bulletins At Your Pastor . . .

I know I can’t be the only one who has had one of those Sundays. When the pastor is preaching about peace and rest and joy . . . and I am a hot mess of baby slobber, pop-tart goo, and having yet another mom-bun Sunday. You know what he is saying is true and wonderful, but you can’t help but feel so incredibly far from what he is talking about. Please tell me you have been there too?

 

Many times in life it seems like we are butting our heads up against a wall. A problem or obstacle that just won’t back down. Maybe it’s a parenting stage with your children, a stressful marriage, a diagnosis that rocks your world, divorce, depression, anger . . . it can be anything and sometimes everything all at once. I heard this song a few weeks ago and found myself in tears after the first line.

 

“Walking around these walls
I thought by now they’d fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle’s won
For You have never failed me yet

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet

I know the night won’t last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus, You’re still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet”

 

So many walls in life that I really thought I would be past by now. And yet I am not.

 

This song reminded me of the battle of Jericho when the Israelites were faced with a giant wall between them and the promise land. After Moses died, God chose Joshua to lead His people. Joshua did everything God commanded of him and each time God was faithful to provide a way. When the people reached the city of Jericho they found a tremendous wall around the entire city. How would they get through? Man, the Israelites were always running into walls and troubles weren’t they? Joshua chapter 6 tells us this:

 

 “Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.”

 

Can you relate to the Israelites facing this huge wall? I can. Often from my perspective things are just too overwhelming.

 

Now Joshua had been mentored by Moses and knew that he would not always understand God’s plans – but he must always obey them.

 

^“2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ³ March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. ⁵ When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

 

Just being real here . . . this sounds a little nuts right? In case you don’t know the story, the crazy dance works (as God always does). You see, I think sometimes in order to be victorious over our struggles, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes regardless of how crazy it may seem at the time.

A large part of our fight in this world is identifying who our enemy is. Often times I get off course here thinking my husband or even my kids are my enemy. They are not. Our true enemy loves nothing more than to use our struggles to block our perspective. Most of the time I don’t see things from a God-sized lens, but through my own small, and often self-centered lens.

 

Seeing the devil for what he is and what he comes to do is key. If you are struggling today, fighting against a giant wall in front of you, know that the enemy is attacking for a reason – he is so desperate because he can’t keep you away from God much longer. You are right at that wall ready to break free into your promise land and it makes the devil sweat!

 

My friends, we must not look at the wall in front of us. We must keep our eyes on the God above it all!

 

So if you are sitting here today ready to pitch the bulletin at your pastor, remember who you enemy is. Call him out on it and in Jesus name tell him to get out of your way! You are a precious child of God ordained by Christ’s blood to do great things for His Kingdom. No matter the wall in front of you God is bigger.

 

Shall we knock down these walls together? I will join you in marching around the city. Let me know below what walls you are facing and together we will pray them down.

 

 

 

 

 

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