“This is what the Lord says to you: Don’t be afraid or discouraged by this great army because the battle isn’t yours. It belongs to God!” (2 Chronicles 20:15b CEB)
I hope Denzel does not get upset with me using the song from the movie “Glory,” but it helps me describe how I felt at the end of the day Monday and as I looked at my living room and dining room. If you know me, you know I like order. The song also reflects how I reacted as I looked around Tuesday morning at the same rooms, filled with everything…yes everything…removed from the kitchen cabinets and walls. This is how it materialized. Monday afternoon I got a text that said the contractors would come on Tuesday to retire the cabinets that came with the house when it was built and to install new cabinets. That’s great! But this meant that Monday, after working from 4:00 a.m. until noon, I would have to have to empty all the cabinets and take all the wall hangings down. All I could say as I labored until 9:30 p.m. was, “Oh my Lawd, Lawd, Lawd!” The angels of the army of the Lord in Heaven were probably backing me up, “Um hmm, um hmm!” But unlike the movie, I won the battle! The cabinets, the wall hangings, and the fatigue that followed me from a full and busy week, although “they” thought they would get the best of me, they lost! We were ready to start all over, as far as the first phase of the kitchen renovation project was concerned. I have to admit, during the process I almost conceded to the idea that it would just be easier to move. But I did not give up. But I did sing on, “Oh my Lawd, Lawd, Lawd!”
Sometimes in our lives and sometimes in the life of the church, we have to start all over. We have to take out the old and put in the new, or better said, if we want to be understood from a scriptural perspective, take off the old and put on the new. Individually, we may be tempted to take the easy way out and move from our faith – but don’t do it! Stay right where you are and do the work! In our churches, we may look at the negative impact of the present-day pandemic, but see the positive. See how God is giving us a clean slate, almost like that of starting a new church. Without sacrificing the purposes of assembling together, God is giving us an opportunity to rebuild, revive, refill His house, and re-energize the saints! God is giving us a blessing of reaching out to recruit and replace those that have fled from the church or recapture those who have recently questioned the purpose of “church” and rationalize or justified that staying at home is alright.
So instead of saying, “Oh my Lawd, Lawd, Lawd” with a feeling to intimidation or an insatiable presence of fear, instead we can say, “Oh my Lawd, Lawd, Lawd” with a feeling of excitement, exuberance, and expressions of thanksgiving because the Lord has entrusted us to do His kingdom building work, to fill out the clean slate. Look! Along with our power, we have His power! In addition to our ideas, we have His all-knowing wisdom! Accentuating our dedication is His Divine faithfulness! Yes, we can celebrate from individual perspectives of rebuilding or restarting or reshaping our lives, as well as doing the same for the life of His church. Now don’t procrastinate and don’t play church by holding planning at meetings for weeks, months, or years to propose possible actions to fill out the clean slate! Do it now! You can do it! Sing with joy as you do, “Oh my Lawd, Lawd, Lawd!” The angels and me have your back, “Um hmm, um hmm!” Have a great Wednesday! Be blessed!
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 KJV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King