You know those days when all is right in the world? Like that. In addtion to that we enjoyed a wonderful weekend with the saints in both a Singspiration and Dedication of our new Church Building. The houses were packed to the brim (and it was probably a fire hazard!), but it felt like it did when I was young. It felt right. It felt right that people - souls - should pack into the House of God. This. This is how God's House should be.
It really touched me, as a person who has watched people who are close to me backslide from (and some return to) Christ. It is very true that salvation is a personal walk with Christ, and each one of us has to be very convinced that the going back of others does not cause us to lose our stedfastness. However, it is also true that there is a communal knowledge through the Holy Spirit - a fellowship that is beyond words. It is an unspoken brother/sisterhood, a silent and shared understanding and bond that exists between saved people. And when someone leaves God, they break that bond. The closer the person is to you, the greater the loss.
We mourn the loss of each one, and though we continue, there is a sadness there - a desire that that person who left God will return to share with you again the joy of living saved and worshipping God. It is not a sadness of being shaken yourself, but more the sadness that comes with saying goodbye.
When people leave God, they are by association leaving you, because God lives in you. And though from an outward perspective things may seem to remain the same, the truth is, inwardly they have chosen a path that you will not take: and so your pathways diverge. You travel on without them. They travel on without you. You may even meet at later destinations and find that you hardly know or recognize them anymore.
The heart mourns for that realization long before it actually happens, because you know deep down inside that the island you're drifting on, and the island they're drifting on will in years to come take you worlds apart.
And so, in birth from these necessary melancholy thoughts, is the joy of coming together again with those you love in God's House. The joy of fellowship is a satisfaction in a way that I cannot explain.
To me, a paramount joy in my life has been to worship God with my mostly saved family - to know that someone, somewhere is saved, and understands me. Each of us has to endure that hardship of being alone in the world, and facing the great darkness of a sin-sick world with just ourselves and God. We all have to go through that. We all have to experience being a lone candle, flickering against the enveloping darkness.
And we stand. And we stand. And we stand. But you know what is awe-inspiring? When you're standing there, all alone out on that limb, bravely flickering against the Darkness with Jesus, and suddenly you begin to see respondent pinpricks of light flashing out into the night. And suddenly you see that the night is bright with fires, and the soft glow of candlesticks are stretching out into Darkness. THAT is a wonderful feeling.
And so, I meant to say many things in this post but what I want to say now to any saint who needs it is that whereever you are, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
And what was so awesome about this Thanksgiving is that it reminded me of this scripture:
Psalm 133:1 :
[[A Song of degrees of David.]] Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It's good to fight the battles and stand alone with Jesus in your dark day (see 1 Corinthians 3:13), but its also good to worship God together in unity of the Spirit - and its good to know that you are not alone.
I've always been a fan of John McCrae's poem In Flanders Field, but I've been wanting to revise it to fit my thinking for some time. This time, I've made an attempt:
in gods house the holy few
fill the building pew on pew
to mark their passage; and outside
the solemn battle rages wide
scarce heard, scarce seen to naked eyes.
we are the saved. short days ago
we were lost and did not know
that we were loved and now we stand
in gods house.
take up our quarrel with the Foe:
to you from pilgrim hands we throw
the torch: be it yours to hold on high.
if ye break faith with Him who died
we shall go on, though you go
from god's house.
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