Willing to Stand Alone

We read in 2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." That's exactly who Jonathan was [see my August 15th entry]: a heart that was wholly God's, standing in the place where God would have him. And in that moment, the eyes of the Lord saw him, and God's strong support quickly followed. Samuel wrote, "Then panic struck the whole army -- those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties -- and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God" [14:15].

Jonathan moved with God, and God moved with Jonathan. It may sound strange, but God joined Jonathan's effort. It wasn't that Jonathan changed God's mind but rather Jonathan expressed God's heart. He did what was on God's mind, and his action created an opportunity for God to act on his behalf. The tables quickly turned from Jonathan and his armor-bearer against the armies of the Philistines to Jonathan, his apprentice, and the living God against the enemies of God's purpose.

Samuel described a total confusion among the Philistines as they were striking each other with their own swords. Because Jonathan became a warrior for God, God became a warrior for Jonathan. Samuel wanted to make sure there was no ambiguity about who sent the earthquake. It was not an incidental, natural disaster that came at a timely moment. The earth shook, and it was a panic sent by God. Jonathan was willing to live on the edge, and God thus made him the epicenter of His interaction with humanity. Jonathan's life marked where God was moving. And God wanted to make sure that everyone understood that this man's life reflected what God was doing in history.

The technical definition of impact is "a forcible contact between two or more things." This is an accurate description of how men and women are used by God to shape the course of human history. Whenever God is doing a new thing, He does it through people. And those He chooses to lead the way are often considered fortunate only in retrospect The reality of the moment is usually quite different. It is a privilege to be called to go first even when it means we are the first to suffer and the only ones at risk. It means we must bear the weight of responsibility and accept the consequences that will come with the privilege.

Whenever God moves forward, it is in conflict with many other forces. The kingdom of God can expand only out of conflict with the kingdom of darkness. Hate does not surrender easily to love, nor does evil submit quietly to good. When we seize divine moments, there is a spiritual collision, and a part of seizing those moments to the fullest is a willingness to bear the initial impact alone.

Anyone who has ever served as a leader understands the loneliness of the role. My pastor, Erik Braun, alluded to this in his sermon last Sunday on Psalm 13 when he remarked that "there is a unique and solitary burden that I bear as the senior pastor and preacher here at Four Oaks. Even as I share my burdens, even as other leaders serve and bear up under them, it doesn't necessarily remove the unique, and often lonely, feeling that besieges my soul in those burdens." A part of calling is to bear the initial impact on the behalf of others. This is true in every meaningful endeavor and has never been more beautifully modeled than by our Lord Jesus Christ. The cross was His place alone. No one else could bear it for us. From Gethsemane to Calvary, Jesus chose the lonely place. Even His cry to His Father, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" reminds us that God allows us to go to places where the weight of desperation presses hard against our souls. Those men and women whom God uses to write the pages of history understand the depth of this principle, that God paves the way primarily by the willing sacrifice of His people individually. Through these individual souls, God makes known to all who will listen what is on His heart.