Pearls of Wisdom in Paragraphs
by: Dr. Charles Killian, Asbury Theological Seminary Professor 1970-2004
The story comes from the life of King Jahaziel (2 Chronicles 20). The Israelites were being invaded. They were shaken by the news. It was a dark hour. So the King called the people together to pray. This was his prayer, “God of our Fathers—the only God in all the heavens; who can stand against you?”
After the prayer, the King stood and gave the Word: “Listen to me. Don’t be afraid and don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…take your places and quietly and see the incredible rescue-mission God will perform…go, for tomorrow the Lord will be with you.”
Now, get a load of this! He gets the Temple choir members to start singing, even in the shadow of their despair. They marched and they sang, ‘The Lovingkindness of God is forever. That music caused such confusion among the enemy that they were all in disarray and defeated.
And on the fourth day the people, along with the King, gathered in the Valley of Becharah—the ‘Valley of Blessing’ and gave thanks to Almighty God.
How long has it been since you experienced the ‘valley of blessings’? God is in charge and it is time to start singing.
Be Blessed!
Over the years I have presided over many ‘revivals’; yes, ‘revivals’—the kind of experiences that are to assist the congregation in spiritual growth and renewal.
In one of my congregations, there were a few who thought the term was outdated and was due for an upgrade. They felt the whole idea of calling it a ‘revival’ made them out of sync with culture. So they offered this instead…
*It Is Time for a Checkup! (You wonder if going to the doctor might do just as well.)
*It is Adjustment Week! (A trip to the chiropractor might do the trick.)
*The Winter-Warmup! (How to build a fire and keep it going.)
*Clearing the Vision! (How to pierce the fog with night goggles.)
*Tune Up Time! (Getting everyone to hit on all cylinders.)
*Annual Checkup Time! (Now there is a fun experience.)
I guess the metaphors are fine but when it comes to our spirituality and renewal, we probably need a nudge, as Vance Havner put it, “find out what direction God is going and get going in that direction.”
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