Volume 28, No. 31
August 24, 2003
Surrounded
You’re surrounded. Put your hands in the air!
When the dark forces of defeat and discouragement hem us in, our gut reaction
is to give up. But next time the situation seems hopeless, remember this true
story from the Civil War.
In September 1864, Confederate General Nathan Forrest wanted to attack the
Union fort in Athens, Alabama before Northern reinforcements could arrive. But
it was heavily armed and the Southerners were vastly outnumbered.
Undeterred, General Forrest requested a face-to-face encounter with the Union
commander whose name was Campbell. Out of courage or overconfidence, Campbell
agreed to a meeting, right in the enemy camp. As the two men talked, the
Confederate general gave his rival a tour of his troops and, the whole time,
Campbell silently calculated the number of soldiers and cannons surrounding his
fort.
But unbeknownst to the Northern commander, once Forrest’s troops were seen
and tallied, they quietly packed up and sneaked into a new position, to be
counted again! Campbell saw the same soldiers over and over, without twigging
to the truth. Assuming he was hopelessly outgunned by the invaders, he went
back to his fort, pulled down the flag and surrendered without a shot fired.
How sad when we, too, give up without a fight just because the forces arrayed
against us deceive and manipulate us into submission. It happens often, usually
at the hands of habitual sin.
Whenever we find ourselves mired in evil behaviour that’s persistent, painful
and prolonged, it feels like there’s no escape. “I recognize my shameful
deeds,” wrote David. “They haunt me day and night.” That’s a good and
necessary thing if there’s to be spiritual recognition, repentance and renewal.
But in the grip of such sin, we often become paralysed by an overwhelming
sense of helplessness and hopelessness that only intensifies each time we fail
to kick the conduct that plunges us into acute guilt and nagging regret. All
the while, our gloating, gladhearted enemy whispers our most deeply-felt fears.
“You’ll never change,” he sneers. “You thought you could but just look at
yourself. If those real Christians knew what you were really like, they’d have
nothing to do with you.” At that point, Satan is parading the same old sins
before you as you sadly keep count of what soon seems an invincible force.
Blind to all the grace and all the growth at work in your life, you see only the
fearsome, recurring failure that your enemy constantly shifts to the forefront.
Let’s be clear. Sin of any kind is detestable to God and all the good we do
can never be enough to excuse even a single moral failure. But nor can one area
of weakness cancel out our entire relationship with a patient, loving Father,
unless we surrender to the enemy without even trying to resist.
In other words, perspective is all-important. Let’s take our weakness very
seriously, without giving it a weight and power it doesn’t deserve. Let’s keep
our lives in context, seen against the sweep of God’s all-surpassing love and
grace. And let’s measure the might of the enemy in relation to the far superior
power of the Holy Spirit who’s willing and able to deliver us from evil.
Like the prophet Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, who despaired over the invaders
encircling his walled city, we need an awakening. “’Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha
told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs.’ Then Elisha prayed,
‘Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened his servant’s eyes, and
when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses
and chariots of fire.” (2 Kings 6:16,17)
The Lord still sends reinforcements, even when we’re our own worst enemy.
God is slow to anger and steadfast in love. His blessings envelope us and
demand a response of praise. You’re surrounded. Put your hands in the air!
By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the
Followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will
in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe, contact
sgamble@bfree.on.ca