A Promise That Comforts and Confronts
There are some promises that fill us with excitement. “We’re going on vacation.” And there are promises that fill us with dread. “Wait until your father gets home.” Then there are some promises that do both. Matthew 16:18 is one of those that on the surface excites me but when I look a little closer makes me tremble a little. “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Peter had just declared that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And, in response, Jesus said that the church would be built on the firm foundation (the rock) and truth of Peter’s statement. Truly exciting stuff. As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus then proclaims, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The Promise That Makes Me Tremble
Imagine, no matter what the enemy throws at us, the body of Christ shall prevail. But that’s where the dread comes in. You see, this implies the sure promise that Satan and his minions, in all their hatred and fury, will try anything and everything to tear the church down. And if we make up the church then that’s a promise that Satan’s attempts will involve tearing us down individually. Nothing he does can damage that firm foundation. The fact that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” and “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” was established before there was a world. So, the enemy’s next best attack is to try and tear down the church brick by brick. That means you and me, my fellow brick.
We are the workmanship of His hands. The church built upon the firm foundation of His saving blood, death, and resurrection. His grace and mercy are the mortar that binds us together into the communal entity of “the church.” So then, why tremble with some dread?
While the promise that the church will prevail is sure and true, it says nothing about the individuals who the enemy attacks. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not doubting God’s promises and I’m not questioning my faith. But a prisoner of war facing torture can be secure in the idea that they won’t succumb to the enemy and still dread the coming torment. They may cry out in pain and return to their cell battered and bleeding but still not be broken in spirit. That doesn’t make the torture less torturous and dreadful, but it can make it more bearable.
Brick by Brick: When the Enemy Attacks
This dread is not an overwhelming, impossible to face or survive kind of feeling. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t hard to bear. ALS is a death sentence. It’s not a race so much as a slow crawl to the grave. The disease itself is not painful the way something like nerve damage can be, but your joints will ache from the lack of movement. As your body loses muscle and fat you end up sitting directly on your bones and you feel like those bones are tearing through your skin. I’ve had enough pressure sores to confirm this can actually happen. You always feel short of breath even with ventilators and when you lose the ability to swallow the threat of suffocation or drowning becomes all too real. And you don’t even have a voice to cry out from the pain and struggle.
I’ve sat in the silence and wept from the pain. I’ve had genuine moments where I thought “this is the end” because I had no way to call for help or communicate my needs. I have wondered where God was, what was His plan, and was He even listening? And I’m just living with a disease. I’m not even dealing with hostile peoples or nations who will stop at nothing to see the gospel destroyed, even if that means violent torture and the brutal murder of anyone who trusts in Jesus.
Not Fearless, but Overcoming
All this to say my friends, that the dread of what the enemy has planned can be very real, whether subtle and drawn out or blatant and immediate. Rest assured that I know in whom my hope rests. His promises are true and my faith is secure. But it’s ok to be human. We are frail and death is real. It’s not hypocritical to say, “I don’t fear death because I know what comes next” and still dread the actual pain and struggle of crossing over. It’s not cowardice to acknowledge fear and dread, just don’t stay there. Bravery is not the absence of fear, it’s the overcoming of fear and doing what needs to be done despite the fear. Look to the One who is our Rock and firm foundation. Then the dread changes from overwhelming to manageable and even something that can be navigated and overcome. That’s a promise!
Final Question: How do you encourage someone who trusts God deeply but still feels dread about what lies ahead? Or what has God taught you in seasons when faith and dread seemed to exist side by side?
“…To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17 BSB
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