I am your light and salvation, your God in whom you can trust. I will not let your foot slip, I will watch over you. I will lead you and with my mighty right hand I will guide you onward. To still waters and green pastures, to feasts and dancing and cups overflowing! Though you find yourself in the valley of death, fear no evil, for I am your Father, and I care for you. I am the Lord of Hosts, the King of Heaven’s armies, and I am on the move! The pines rustle and sway, heaven’s armies are coming! The battle belongs to me but it is all around you! It is not for the weak of heart; quite the opposite! The Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing and violent men are taking it by force! Unadulterated religion is this; take care of my orphaned children, of my daughters who are widows. I do not want your petty prayers and feeble half-hearted fasting. I hate them! Feed the hungry, seek justice, heal the sick, clothe the naked, make disciples of all nations!
Do something oh you sluggard! Wake up Oh Sleeper! Wake on up from your slumber and open up your eyes! I did not give you your salvation for you to squander away on such apathetic, mindless living. I stand at the door and knock bidding you let me in and renew your life. I will give you a renewed heart and a fresh mind; I will even create new desires in you. It’s going to be wild, it’s going to be great! Come away and join me in the abundant life! Leave your family, and friends, bring no extra clothes or food, I will provide, I will empower.
You don’t believe me, do you? Let me help your unbelief, let me help your faithlessness. I have a plan for you, good plans to prosper you, to give you hope and a future. Come away with me! Only believe, only believe. I know you want more, deep down you do, though you may not know it yet. You’re not one to sit on the sides; you are made for great things, though you do not see them yet. It doesn’t matter that you doubt yourself, of course you do, you are no hero, nothing special by human standards. But to me, to me you are just what I need. I see you, I see it in you, though you do not at the present. I know you. Better than you know yourself, which may surprise you but it shouldn’t because you have believed many lies over the years. Our enemy is a clever one. He has indeed mastered the art of deception and lies. I see now though that you have begun to recognize them for what they are, you are beginning to see clearly. The chains are coming off, they are breaking off of your hands and feet. Not all at once, but slowly. I knew this time would come; I’ve been looking forward to it! For, now you can begin to truly live.
I promise you, come away with me on this adventure and you will never be the same again. You’re not sure if you never want to be the same again? Yes, that is almost always the hardest thing – setting foot out the door. The comforts and ordinary are inextricably difficult to forsake once you’ve become accustomed to them – once you’ve been lulled to sleep.
Open up your heart, let me in, let me in! Not just a sliver, not just on Sunday mornings, there are enough others who have chosen that life. I am afraid many of them are deceiving themselves. You will have to run ahead of them and get your head above the crowd. Go ahead, Run! Many will think you are crazy, too different, overly zealous, eccentric even. But once you’ve tasted the abundant life, you will want no other. I promise you that. But you must trust me. Trust me. Put aside who you have believed yourself to be all these years and become who you were born to be! It’s never too late! It is never too late. Put aside the filth of the world, the materialism, your functional saviors, your addictions, your fears, your insecurities, the lies, the excuses and the ordinariness that so easily entangles. You have greatness in you because I have put it there!
Rise up now, Oh man of God! You’ve been sitting quietly for far too long. Rise up and join me! We have mountains to move. We have much to do.
