STANDING ON HOLY GROUND

I was at a meeting last night and the discussion centered round fear and worry. It was near the end of our meeting and the comment was made about simply going with the flow. Immediately a red flag went up in my mind, however, several others chimed-in with agreement. The meeting ended shortly after but I just could not get it out of my mind; going with the flow. I could not see going with the flow as a good thing for anyone, but especially for any that might be dealing with some sort of addiction. In fact, for most of our lives we need to be going against the flow. We need to train for rowing up stream. Unfortunately, the way of the world is not the direction we should or want to be going. Have you ever been canoeing, rowing a boat, or rafting? With any of these activities it takes little, or sometimes even no effort, to reach a destination if you are going with the flow. The river just carries you along. But what if you figure out that you passed your destination, or, for that matter, you have simply been going in the wrong direction? Now comes the hard part, or maybe even what appears to be an impossible part, going against the flow. One summer my Boy Scout Troop #16 in Sycamore, Illinois went on a canoe trip down the Mississippi River. We started in upper Wisconsin on a five day trip down the river. The first day was spent in the back waters as we simply practiced getting in and out of the canoe. Since none of us had ever canoed before, this in itself was quite a task. In the beginning all we could do was tip over the canoe. It was fun but frustrating at the same time. It also became tiresome after a while, especially trying to get back into the canoe after dumping it. Finally we all got the hang of it. That was our goal the first day. The next morning as we climbed out of our tents we were greeted with a beautiful sunny day, breakfast over the campfire, packed up our campsite, and off we went. We became better at the art of canoeing with the passing of every hour on the water. One day we even put up make-shift sails and simply floated down the river. But on day three a sudden storm came up. The rain came down, the lightening clashed, and the winds blew creating five to eight foot waves on the river. A short distance back we had passed a clearing along the bank. We quickly realized it was too dangerous to remain on the water. We turned around and frantically headed for the clearing. Going with the flow was no longer an option. Going with the flow would have been the worst choice we could have made, but let me tell you, going against the flow was anything but easy. The same thing is true as we make our way through life. This is a sinful world in which we live and often, if not most of the time, the easy path or flow is not the best. I do not want you to misunderstand, going with the flow is not always bad. It was great just floating down that river. But we must always be on guard. We must not be afraid of the more difficult path. We must be prudent. We must be prepared. In the Bible (Ephesians, Chapter 6) we are told that as we prepare for those uphill battles which we will certainly face in life, we must put on the full armor of God. It begins by telling us to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Be strong is a simplified translation. Here is a more literal translation: Be strengthened. Some translations read: Let the Lord and his mighty power make you strong. You see, we must understand that strength belongs to God. By ourselves we have no strength. God makes us strong Pay attention to this: Be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. (Deuteronomy 5:32-33) And this: Love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul. (Joshua 22:5) And this: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask where the good way is, and walk in it. (Jeremiah 6:16) This is all very clear. We are to do what the Lord has commanded us. But is that always easy? In fact, is it even possible? Going against the flow is almost always difficult. Therefore we must be prepared. The Bible often compares living a Christian life to running a race, and like any runner we must first of all be prepared. We are told in the Psalms that the Lord will instruct us and teach us the way we should go. We are told he will counsel and watch over us. (Psalm 32:1) Which is it then? Going with or against the flow? May the Lord enable us to discern the way, and as necessary, as it usually is, prepare us for going against the flow.