BESEECHEN...

And So We Beseech Thee Gracious Lord

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

As we come into this New Year having no clue what it will bring, we hold loosely that which is Yours.  As much as we’d like to proclaim Your unending ways, sometimes pain does not allow.  In those moments, take hold Lord, take hold.  You’ve got this, lest we forget.  In our weakness…You are strong.  We hold fast to truth which sustains.

Mere breathing can be difficult; placing one lead weighted foot in front of the other drains energy.  Sitting solid is even more excruciating as that which is not familiar crashes round about.  Satan’s arrows have no power.  For His blood which was shed pierces the darkness as the arrows that fly by night fall short of their target.  As they fly past threatening those who are of service to Thy kingdom, we proclaim victory before the battle begins.

Oh weary heart, why are you so faint?  The depth of truth revealed is often times difficult to live out as we watch wounded warriors absorb blows meant to beat down.  Rise up oh men/women of God, He’s got this.  Salvage yards are full of vintage vehicles awaiting to be regenerated as parts are used for service elsewhere.  Building up that which has broken down is what they are good for.  At first sight, the discarded piles look like waste wasting.  Truth-be-told, they lie in wait for purposes far greater than we could ever imagine…a spark plug here, a battery there, a full engine needing to bring life to that which was once thought to be no longer useful.

 

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me, according to Thy word.” 

 Luke 1:38

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” 

Deep within the center of home hearths, prayers are lifted.  Called to places I’d rather not go, steps stutter.  Perhaps by returning to the warmth of the familiar, praying is enough.  The battle is Yours, Lord.  Need I go?  Need I leave the cocoon created?  You mean I have to feed the hungry?  You mean I have to clothe the naked?  I must care for the sick? 

It was so much easier just breezing through those stores doing a bit of shopping, buying a cup of coffee, looking at a few decorating magazines, typing articles to encourage others to go, therefore, and live the Gospel.  Now, it’s day three of this new-year and I’m way out of my comfort zone. 

May “Thy Word which is sharper than any two edge sword” (Heb. 4:12) pass through and pierce the darkness which only appears to permeate this planet.  May this year rain down Your glory, for Your glory.  Amen.