“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
I Samuel 30:6 KJV
I think it’s important to pause and remind ourselves how much we rely on other voices and events to keep us encouraged. I think that if most people were to be honest (I am trying to be), we rely on surrounding stimuli (voices and activities) to keep us built up, positive, and excited. Nothing wrong with that. We all need it to some degree. But what do you do when all your “other” voices and events are no longer accessible? What do you do when the vast majority of the culture is speaking negatively, predicting doom and gloom, or the events you count on to give you your weekly dose of encouragement are cancelled? I believe the answer to those questions provide another metric in evaluating your maturity.
I have missed the gathering of the saints in corporate worship. I am one of those people who believes that the assembly is vital and indeed required in a believer’s life. I understand the debate this pandemic has produced regarding the biblical requirement of gathering and the subsequent ecclesiology questions (as well as constitutional questions) of whether it can be legitimately suspended for community safety. I have strong opinions in that regard as I know many of my pastoral colleagues do. My point isn’t to be another chime in the debate bellringing, but rather confess the realization of how much our spiritual disposition relies on things beyond ourselves and the Lord to keep us focused, encouraged and excited about the future. This isn’t an ecclesiology question, it’s a personal maturity question. Gathering as the Church is a non-negotiable expectation from the Lord. I am grateful that the gathering exists to help me in a hundred different ways concerning my spiritual health. That being said, when adversity hits and the normal encouragement pipelines cease to exist or are at least greatly modified, does that undermine my spiritual health? And if it does, what steps do I take to make sure my spiritual fervor remains passionate?
David was in that kind of moment. It wasn’t a pandemic, but people were panicking. His predecessor, Saul, had completely lost his mind and was in full pursuit to kill David. The people who had placed their hopes in David’s leadership were now having second thoughts and they too were considering killing him. Circumstantially, there wasn’t a lot David could point to that was encouraging. There were no voices preaching the Scriptures and telling him that God was bigger than the problem. There was no crowd worshipping the Lord at the nearest arena in which he could get a ticket to attend and be swept up in the enthusiasm of the atmosphere. He was alone, the situation was discouraging, and his iTunes account was closed. What would be David’s pipeline of exhortation and encouragement?
Himself…
Yes, you read that right…
Himself…
And this is what I believe to be one of the many lessons flowing out of this pandemic lockdown…
When your normal encouragement pipelines dry up, can you “encourage” yourself in the Lord?
Can you press in, dig in, walk it out, rise up, and determine you will not succumb to the milieu of the age? When others are negative, angry, cantankerous, irritated, ungrateful, belligerent, hateful, snarky, sarcastic, demon-possessed, and the like; can you overcome it (with the Lord’s help) on your own?
I believe many Christian people are having to learn in these days what most pastors learn early in the ministry. Whether anyone else keeps their focus, I will keep my eyes on Him. I will speak of the promises of God and keep them continually in my mouth. I am more appreciative than ever of the normal pipelines of encouragement the Lord has provided me, but if they are removed, I can access another pipeline of encouragement which flows from my own mouth.
I want to be spiritually better, stronger, and more mature when this pandemic wraps up. I want to have conquered all fear and anxiety. I want to demonstrate true signs of growth and maturity.
My strength is in the Lord…
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