"Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted." - 2 Samuel 21:15
Have you ever been exhausted? Just tired to the bone exhausted?
Knowing most of you really well, I know that's a silly question. The question then becomes, "Will it ever end? Will those periods, and for some of you, will the life of exhaustion ever end?"
In today's verse, God's word says that the source of the exhaustion was a battle...another battle.
As I write this, I pause.
I see so many of you. Most of you. Actually, it's taking a while because there's a lot of you, but I see all of you that I know. With each of you, I can remember a time or times that you were exhausted...from battling...again.
The battles that I remember for each of you are different, though some are similar. I remember feeling the burden with you. In many cases, I didn't know what to say.
Ultimately, in every case, we have only one thing to say to one another that really encourages us to persevere...to keep going...to put one foot in front of the other while we have breath...to believe that there is joy awaiting if we will fight the good fight of faith.
One thing encourages us in the face of exhaustion born from another of life's battles.
The name of Jesus.
For in him is Easter. And Easter is all year, even on a blazing hot Fall day in the South, when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and sinless Savior who took our place on the cross and rose triumphant and victorious over sin, death, and anything else that would suck us dry and exhaust us. Say it with me, "In Jesus Christ, I have victory over all that exhausts me—over sin, death, the devil, the grave, along with fear and guilt and uncertainty and anxiety and absolutely anything else that exhausts me!"
As the old Easter hymn calls us to sing and believe from the depth of our being::
"The strife is o'er, the battle done. Now is the victor's triumph won; Now be the song of praise begun. Alleluia!
The powers of death have done their worst, But Christ their legions has dispersed. Let shouts of holy joy outburst. Alleluia!
The three sad days have quickly sped, He rises glorious from the dead. All glory to our risen head!
Alleluia!
He broke the age bound chains of hell; The bars from heaven's high portals fell. Let hymns of praise his triumph tell. Alleluia!
Lord, by the stripes which wounded you From death's sting free your servants too That we may live and sing to you. Alleluia!"
Praise God!
(Notes: Author: Giovanni P. da Palestrina, Tune: Victory, 1st Published: 1695)
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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