Liv'n'Hope

(This is a lengthy post, but please bear with me!)

“With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect: the Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make Your saving help my shield, and Your right hand sustains me; Your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.” Psalm 18:29-36

“My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.” Psalm 25:15

“Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, ‘Look at us.’ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” Acts 3:1-10

No matter what wall you are facing today (blockage, bad habit, hurdle), no matter what snare is tangled around your feet (fear of failure, fear of what other people think of you, fear of the unknown), no matter how long you have been sitting there by the wall and waiting for deliverance… right now, you can choose to humbly, yet expectantly, look at God your Strength for breakthrough.

Breakthrough can be an exciting but scary thing. You may have become used to sitting by that wall – it has given you a sense of security because it seems like it has been there forever.

For years, God has been reminding me that He has given me “feet like the feet of a deer” and that I must get over certain walls so that I can reach my destination. But I’ve always been too afraid of the unknown, too afraid of failure. Sometimes I would be content to sit in the shadow of the wall and would be glad of its existence because it gave me certainty; at other times I’d wish I wasn’t so scared so that I could get over it.

One day, I listened – properly listened – to a song called “Wall of Love,” by Chuck Girard. (Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC7a8jkPunY)

These are the lyrics:

I built a wall of love around you

That no man can take apart

I built a wall of love around you,

And it’s a wall around your heart

I bought each brick with a drop of My blood

And the mortar was my pain

I built a wall of love around you, when I rose again

 

Trust in Me with all your heart,

And don’t you go by what you understand

When you think that your world is falling apart

Just remember that you’re in My hand

When you’ve seen as far as the eye can see

And it looks like the end to you

Just remember that My ways are not your ways

I’m the Lord and I’m able to deliver you

So look up, look up, for your redemption draws near to you

So look up, look up and the heavens will open up to you

So look up, and see the glory of your God

And that light will shine on you

And realize when you look in my eyes

How much….. I love you

 

It was then that I fully realised I had no need whatsoever for any other wall than the one Jesus has built around me by His death and resurrection! The wall He has made cannot be taken apart by anyone!

Once we have looked expectantly for and received our freedom, we – like the lame man who was healed – can walk, leap, and praise God in everything we do. The people we cross paths with will be amazed by the work He has done in our lives.