“3 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Prayer for Spiritual Strength 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:1-21 ESV)
Situationally aware, many of the bleary-eyed hardships of the soldier are things so pedantic, dull, unexciting: the blare of tiredness, the scope of despair, the liminally-avoidant safety zones. Spirit moves into the neighborhood, and sets up camp in our mind. Spirit ebbs and flows, today’s forecast just as dire, bleak as that of yesterday.
Spirit also gives that situational awareness wherein the honest appraisal: it would take a miracle, a true walk-on-water, to cope with this inhuman level of trial and abuse of our better sentiments. The soldier is found calmed amidst the storm, of clear countenance and shocked a bit as far as being in awesome wonder. Quiet and full of wonder. That God the Father is working in our lives in ways ten steps ahead even of our most plaintive prayers, ten steps ahead of our “Dear Lord please help so-and-so…”, “Please heal me… my comrades…”, “Let us better discern Your ways amidst all that distracts…”.
For, His level of miracle-working doubles down, like the authority figure who has a special language, God doubles down and uses miracle-working in Abundance. That is His language. That is His expense account. That is His stockpile.
To be aware, then, is to dabble in things too wonderful for words. It heals that harsh word we speak against ourselves, or rather the plaintive “Why… help me… I can’t do it”. These words come about because, no matter how sublime our acceptance of Gospel Truth, we try to rate and measure our own response. To the breakup. To the addiction. To the gentler side of even the hard-boiled socialite. Wisdom about said situation, said awareness, these are the Mature in the land, who directly talk through the pain, through the affective aspects of their gentle and vulnerable soul. They indeed have a few techniques around here.
Because: the spirit that comes over us first here and then there, it is a spirit who has hemmed up numerous of our peers. If we even have the perch from which to see it happening, that is half the battle. Dastardly vision! Harrowing alertness! Pained observation!
All things will be strangely pre-dawn in that troop movement that begins the conflagration. All things will somehow work in lockstep around each other, if indeed our better angels are finally called in to our aid. The absence, the home left for the day… we sensitively protect and shelter our own vulnerability to caprice, to the will of a boyfriend or girlfriend, to the harrowing things people do to one another. Because for all our soldiering toughness, it was Urgent Christ’s intervention and embrace in our lives.
To fight, therefore, is a lightly-held disposition. We are predisposed to Fight precisely in congruence to how much we Receive from Him who fought a war none but He at that time quite Saw. Our better strengths, our soldiering disposition, what, after all, is our homestead we hope to return to come nightfall? Is it not rather our time in the trenches, loving on our brethren, sistren, sacrificing in the Name of a good God Above?
Strength is, after all, never to know the bitter side of a friend. And why? Is that some cynical observation that some flatter us or ingratiate themselves into our lives? Rather, some people were placed here on earth for us, for each other, and we share common Life Experiences perhaps, that unite us.
To fear is to adopt, a weary-no-longer faith in the trenches, that specializes in the harder days. That truly Calms the murmuring spirit, the spirit of Man as he or she searches for a place to let loose, to converse plainly, to talk through the fright zone and harrowing pain. God is already herein at work. God is already waiting by the door and knocking. God is already murmuring Himself, that this one—that We—need help a bit more urgently than we realize, and He is a bit more Ready and Willing to help.
To prove our worth and sanity… it is a project only asked for by ourselves. We seek to prove our worth and sanity to ourselves, to a harsher critic than any we might Encounter “out there”. To find ample Rest, then, is to accept Mercy in the here and now. It is to accept being Understood as caretakers of Christ’s wisdom. It is to move post death and dying, to accepting God has a plan for us, and will use our better intentions to do Good in the land. All this and more He promises to those who are loved and called. All this and more He discerns and gifts to us. So we are not weaker for having accepted His unconditional Love, but are remade and alert, stark and Aware. Because it is a manly faith, a faith for all genders of Man. That admits our beggarly weaknesses, and allows His Spirit to work in our hearts so we might give back. Untold and precious things. Miracle working.