My Warrior

I'm not really sure what to say in this blog post, because not much has happened since yesterday. It actually did not rain at all today!! Can you believe it? And it is still cloudy, but the cold isn't as numbing. When we got to school today, several of us stood outside staring at the sky in awe. You couldn't see the actual sun, but there were signs that it was there somewhere. There were faint yellow patches intermingled with the gray. Other Chinese people saw us staring up at the sky, so they also had to look up to see what the foreigners were looking at with such fascination.

Our eyes were literally focused heavenward. That reminded me of the reasons why we were in China--to help others stop and look up. We want them to know that there's an amazing Being who not only inhabits the heavens, but is also present for everyone if they'll just call on His name.

And that's what I found myself doing last night. The past several days or so--I'm not sure how long--I've felt like I'm being strangled. Maybe that's a scary thought, but I really think I was being attacked by the enemy, spiritually, mentally, etc. The enemy knows great things for the King are happening here on the "front-lines" in dark places, and the enemy's not happy about that. The enemy will try anything to thwart the Father's plans for His people and His world. But thankfully the enemy will never quite succeed, especially if we call for help.

So yesterday I called for help. I enlisted others to call for help, also. I felt like I was slowly drowning in helplessness and negativity. I knew I couldn't continue like this, but I felt like it was the most difficult thing in the world to call for help. I couldn't make my voice move or my heart soften. All I could finally whisper was, "Father, please help!" From there I was able to get others to lift me up, and they petitioned Him on my behalf.

I didn't immediately feel different, but I fell asleep soundly, and I woke up in peace this morning. While I was teaching this morning and interacting with others, I was just filled with so much calm, and a knowledge that everything was going to be all right. It was like a quiet joy that seeped into my heart, and then radiated outward.

So I freely admit that I'm just a human. I'm a human who still makes dumb mistakes and who still has to fight for joy. But the difference as a believer is that I don't have to fight for it on my own. There's a great Warrior fighting for me in this spiritual war being waged. I just have to call for Him, and He's there to fight my battles. I might fall off the horse sometimes and get my armor all dented in places, but He's riding alongside ready to catch me and make me whole again. And the most encouraging part is that He wins in the end.