One of the most difficult things about growing older and suffering from the fatigue and lack of stamina associated with some diseases is the inability to stand. I can walk much easier than I can stand still. Not too long ago I had to wait at a counter and after a few minutes I thought I would pass out if I did not find a place to sit or begin to walk around. Standing still can be much more difficult than moving.
I think that is true not only in my natural world but also in the spiritual. Paul wrote about spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6. Three times in that chapter (vs 11, 13, 14) he references standing. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand … having prepared everything to take your stand … Stand, therefore….”
In Philippians 1:27, Paul urged his readers to “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the faith that comes from the gospel.”
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:12: “I have written you this brief letter through Silvanus … to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Take your stand in it!”
We are living in difficult times. These last years battling a pandemic, now with the addition of war, out of control inflation, mass shootings, political discord, and social unrest, have left us all a bit battered. That does not even consider the personal storms that some of us have endured. All that eats away at our joy and our spirits.
Yet, we are still here … and even more we are still standing. Whatever the storm, no matter how strong the winds, we have not collapsed. We are still standing by the grace of God. Amen & Amen
