Stand, #9, final

Be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 
James 5:8

In this final post about standing, we find our motivation, satisfaction, and reason for standing firm. Patience as we stand indicates expectancy—we wait for what we know is coming.

We stand, we endure, we anticipate. We are stretched, we suffer, we tire. But we stand, not for today’s reward but for the one that awaits us. We stand firm because life is more than what we see today, more than our highest highs and lowest lows, more than all we imagine or hope for. We stand, watching and waiting, knowing that the heavens will part and our Redeemer will come and we will begin living our lives as they were designed to be lived.

The eternity that resides in our hearts will be attained and every tomorrow will be untainted, unburdened, unrestricted. Gone will be our deficits and disappointments. The constraints of our humanity will fall away. The freedom to love flawlessly, create perfectly, and live fully will be ours. We will have no pain in our bodies or hearts, no bitterness or injured feelings, no attitude except one of worship. Every part of us will be healed and whole.

So stand—at attention—and watch, “because the Lord’s coming is near.”

Fight the good fight of the faith.
Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.
1 Timothy 6:12a

Stand, #8

Stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, 
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Standing is not idle. It’s a poised position of readiness for action. But even while awaiting that call to action—a summon to war, a demand for defense—we are expected to be working, not standing still. And God’s not talking about puttering around but being fully invested, meeting needs, sharing truth, spreading hope.

The upside of giving our time, resources, and strength is that it’s not empty effort. We may feel it’s futile when we don’t see the fruit we hoped for, but Paul’s writing assures us that our labor is not in vain. God will have His way and accomplish purposes we cannot see. Our part is to faithfully give ourselves to His work. Embrace these closing words in 1 Corinthians:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
Do everything in love. (v 13-14)

Be alert and of sober mind.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
 Resist him, standing firm in the faith… 1 Peter 5:8-9

Alert—watchful, aware, vigilant, ready. Sober—clearheaded, unruffled, serious, thoughtful. We have an enemy prowling around, looking for someone to devour—we must not be devour-able. We must never be in the position to say, “I didn’t see that coming!”

Yes, this is a dour warning but it’s embedded with confident hope. We can be safe. We can resist. We can stand firm in our faith.

Be aware that his attacks are not with tanks and fighter jets. He would not be that stupid. His attacks come in whispers—suggestions of unfairness, hints of jealousy, seeds of pride, justifications of bitterness, wounds to our self-esteem, offenses to harbor. Watch out! Stay awake. Be attentive. Prepare for the onslaught by knowing what the Bible says. Stand firm in your faith.

“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me
in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.“ 
Ezekiel 22:30

A gap indicates a disconnect, a break in continuity, a breach that separates. There is a gap that is cavernous, treacherous, and threatening—the one that exists between us and God. It is the ultimate gap. A person may sense its presence but not its danger.

Yes, Jesus closed that gap, allowing us to become God’s children, but many are unaware of that miraculous bridge. They’ve not yet crossed it and felt God’s embrace. They remain in the gap, alone, and God searches for people who will stand in it with them, for them. He looked for gap-fillers in Ezekiel’s day, and He looks for them today. This excerpt clarifies what God wants:

In the ancient world of the Bible, cities had walls surrounding them to provide protection from enemies. When the wall was breached, the city was vulnerable to destruction; the only way to secure it was for people to risk their lives by literally standing in the gap in the wall and fighting the enemy. (https://worldrelief.org/standing-in-the-gap/)

Our friends and family, our nation and world, need us to stand in the broken places and fight for them in prayer. Will you stand in the gap for their protection, reconciliation, or return to God? When He looks at the world today, may God find us armed and unafraid, resolutely standing in the gap.