Written by Bridge Church Elder Bill Erickson
Noted country artist Vince Gill penned these words in a song he wrote a number of years ago:
When the stockings are hung,
Silent Night has been sung,
And Christmas is finally here,
It won’t be the same this year.
The holiday season is upon us and indeed it won’t be the same this year. Many of us have suffered losses. For some it is the loss of a loved one. I lost my one of my brothers this past August. For some it has been the loss of a job. Or, for others perhaps a broken marriage, or… or… you fill in the blank.
In our kitchen we have a wall plaque that says “Hearts to God, Hands to Work.” It’s an old Shaker phrase. It is a reminder that we belong to God, but that we can’t sit back and be idle. We must continue to move forward no matter our circumstances.
One of my favorite passages in the Bible comes from the book of Nehemiah. You remember that he was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, the one responsible to certify that the king’s drink was not poisoned. When Nehemiah heard about the condition of the walls in Jerusalem he knew he had to do something about it. He could not sit idle.
The first thing he did was to pray. The opening verses of the book say he prayed to the God of heaven, the great and awesome God. He confessed the sins of the people of Israel, and his own sins. On the basis of his prayers to God, the king granted his request to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.
In chapter 2, Nehemiah acknowledges the bad situation and tells the people of the need to repair the walls. Verse 17 says,
“Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild….”
Fired up and ready, the people respond,
“Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to work.” (v.18)
At the end of chapter 4, verse 6 says, “So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”
Then, opposition came. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem began to mock and despise the people.
“What are you doing?’ Are you rebelling against the king?”
Nehemiah’s response was, “the God of heaven will give us success.” You know, victory always lies with God alone. The psalmist says, “Through God we shall do valiantly, it is He who will tread down our foes.” (60:12; 108:13)
However, discouragement had already set in in the hearts of the people. The strength of the people was failing. (4:10) Fatigue can bring about discouragement. I recently heard a message that we need to get back to keeping the Sabbath. In our busyness we have lost the Sabbath. Remember, keeping the Sabbath was instituted long before it became one of the Ten Commandments. Genesis 1 tells us that after God’s work of creation, on the seventh day He rested. (Not because He was tired.) One day out of our week we need to give back to God. We need to stop doing what we do every other day of the week and keep a Sabbath.
The people also experienced a loss of vision. The verse goes on to say, “Yet, there was much rubbish…” Their focus was on the mess and not what they had built. According to current COVID-19 data 98% of those that contract the virus recover. Why doesn’t the media report that? It might help lessen our fear and restore our vision.
But, maybe that’s how you feel this season. You’ve lost your vision. Let’s stop looking down at the mess around us and look up. God is still in His heavens. The sky is still blue…and not falling!
The people also lost their confidence. Continuing in verse 10 it says, “…we ourselves were unable to rebuild the wall.” They believed the opposition! What did Nehemiah do? He repositioned those working on the wall to positions closer to their homes and families. He gave them protection and security. He saw their fear and encouraged them saying, “Do not be afraid…remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers; your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
It concludes, “…then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.”
No, the holidays and celebrations won’t be the same this year. We have faced, and are still facing, great challenges. However, we can be thankful that we are still on the journey, and we will be until God calls us home. So, please take a deep breath, rest, relax and enjoy the season, because… There is Coming A Day.
There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will beThere’ll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no more pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.- Jim Hill
Bill Erickson
