“Deep in man’s heart
are some fundamental questions that simply cannot be answered at the kitchen
table. Who am I? What am I made of? What am I destined for? It is fear that keeps a man at home where
things are neat and orderly and under his control. But the answers to his deepest questions are
not to be found on television or in the refrigerator.” – John Eldredge
“Deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.” – John Eldredge[1]
There is a stillness in the churches and homes of America, a
great slumber and snore, a gray emptiness, if you will. There is a dull whisper, like the echo of an
old empty farmhouse, devoid of the bustling routine, laughter and love it was
accustomed to. Like that house whispers,
“Where is my family?” the stillness in the church whispers: Where are the men of God? Too often, their posts are vacant, inactive,
or trivialized. Too often, women have
stepped in to do the work on their own, have taken over instead of taken their
place alongside (men and women were meant to complement each other, not to replace
each other, after all). In an effort to
gain equitable treatment, women have too often allowed the message, “I can do
anything you can,” to morph into something much more hurtful, “I can do it myself – I don’t need you.” Without a role, without a purpose, many men
have faded into the background, no longer investing or engaging, slumbering in
their pews and their armchairs, becoming passive. And our children notice it. They long for an awakening to occur, for the
men to rise up, to battle for the lost, and to teach the younger generation
what it means to be strong – in the Lord and in themselves. They are not alone in that longing. They are joined by the One who wrote
adventure and strength into the very nature of manhood – our Heavenly Father, God.
I’ve been reading in Joel 3 in the last few weeks,
meditating on the Scriptures I found there, mulling this over, praying and
crying out to God. Look at this
compilation of translations, imagining that this “final battle” refers to the
final days before Jesus’ return. In Joel
3:7, 9-10, God says:
“But now, watch! I am going to awaken them to action (Voice).
I am going to rouse them up from the place into which you have sold them (American translation).
… Awaken your great warriors. Let the fighting men approach and ascend
(American Translation)! Let all the
soldiers come … poised for battle (Voice).
Rally to each other’s help
(NEB), march all you that bear arms (Knox).
Advance (Message)! … For this
final battle, even the weakling must say, ‘I
am a warrior (Voice),’ must summon
up his manhood now (Knox). Yes, even
the weak one must throw out his chest and say, ‘I’m tough, I’m a fighter (MSG),’ thinking himself a hero (Moffatt)!”
My heart quickens at the thought. I feel a fire rising. This is what I desire for the men of God in
my life! This is how I want them to see
themselves! I think of all the young men
I have been privileged to work with – in my Sunday School classes, in foster
care and in detention centers. I think
of the young men who have been like younger brothers to me, treasured young men
in Iowa and here in Pennsylvania. Oh,
how I want them to be awakened to the action plan God has for them, to have
their eyes opened to the excitement and power of God’s story for them! God does not want to tame them, but to set
them free to serve Him passionately, unlimited!
My heart longs for young and old men alike to rise up from the captivity
of materialism and immaturity that so plagues our nation, to rally to each other’s help, to advance, and
even when society has called them weak or unimportant, to throw out their
chests and say, “I am a warrior of God.
I am tough. I am a fighter, a
hero according to the plan of God for my life.”
So today, I join with God in the rallying cry to awaken the warrior in you, Man of God. In these last days, please know that we need
you. We need you, men, to stand strong, to
declare the truth of God, to seek and rescue the lost, to be so grounded in who
God created you as men that you forever
shake off the shackles that would pacify and tame you (television, food,
etc.). We need you to invest wholly in
the work of God, in your families, and your relationships. We need you to rally to help your families,
your brothers and sisters in Christ, even when it is not easy; their spiritual lives may depend on you. In another part of this passage, it talks
about beating farm tools into weapons for the fight. That is what we need you to
do in the spirit realm. In these final
days – whether they are simply our
final days or our planet’s final days
– we need you to transform the tools God has given you into weapons for tearing
down the strongholds of the enemy, for liberating the captives, for battling
the lies of the enemy. It cannot be
about simply making yourself comfortable or “having fun.” We need you to invest, to lay everything on
the line for the souls of others. Your
role in these final days is a unique one, one that cannot be filled with the
strivings of women. Women have their own
roles to awaken to.
You see, Sleeping Beauty was awoken by a kiss, by romance, by an
invitation into the heart of her Love, and the calling to be queen. That is how God is awakening the women of His
church, His Once Captive Queen (see Isaiah 52:1-2). He is awakening us with love, tenderness, and
with the calling to live out of our God-given dreams. Like a queen in her royal duties, He is
calling us to gather the children close and train them up in their callings and authority in
Christ, to bring humanity and compassion to the Kingdom that is at war. But that is not how He will awaken His
warriors. No warrior is awakened by a kiss. No. God will awaken His warriors,
His mighty men of God, with the sound of a bugle, with the call to battle and
adventure beyond the horizon, with fierceness and brotherhood, to rescue and
redeem.
Hear the call, men of God.
Awaken. A new day is dawning in
the church - and your fierceness is desperately needed.
Comments
Post a Comment