Sunday November 6, 2022
Hitting a Wall
The Bible is literally filled with the supernatural power of God intervening into human affairs. Not only does God act supernaturally into the lives of His people but he does so through the lives of His people. Given this fact, the question becomes “Where did all the power go? Why are our churches so devoid of supernatural spiritual power?”
The Bible is more than a book of theology…it is a book containing amazing stories of personal experiences with the Holy Spirit, like David’s. God gave David a supernatural victory over Saul and all of his enemies. What was David’s response? He wrote a song.
For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places. (Ps.18:28-33)
Can we sing a song like that? We would love to leap over a wall! But what happens when we can’t climb the wall or get around it? A sickness keeps us in bed…we can’t resolve an emotional problem or relational conflict….there are insurmountable financial needs…someone dies. And it’s my guess that most of us are not what we call athletic, and thus leaping over walls is not a part of our daily routine!
We need to understand this: a wall is a natural thing, not a supernatural obstacle. A troop is a natural thing; an army, a lion, a bear are all natural things. Even Goliath – although he was a giant – was a natural man.
So what we’re thinking of are not obstacles that are impossible to overcome. They are natural things that are difficult. They may be improbable for us to overcome, and the odds may all be against us. They may even exert us to the end of our strength, even beyond strength if that were possible. But they are all natural things.
God is the God of miracles…He is the God of wonders. And there are times when God breaks through our experience into the natural realm and helps us overcome, not just impossibilities, but difficulties as well.
Now of course, David could climb walls. And maybe you can climb a wall. He could even leap over small walls…but here, the insinuation is that God is enabling David to do the extraordinary in the natural realm. Are you seeing this? David is attributing the help to do that earthly natural thing to God…it is God who is empowering him to excel in it.
We need to remember that this experience of David’s was not a removal of a wall, a demolition or destruction of a wall. It was, rather, the scaling of it. God did not bring down a supernatural ball and chain to demolish the wall, but rather God empowered David to scale the wall. This is not faith-to-remove-a-mountain…it is faith-to-leap-over-walls.
There is a difference. It is not always God’s will to remove problems immediately, and some problems are often with us for a long time. But we do have the promise that He will get us through (over) any obstacle put in our way. We see this in Isaiah:
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Is.43:1-3)
How do we accomplish this? According to Hebrew scholars, the name for God that David uses is Be’lohai, which has prepositional beth in front of the word and which is usually rendered as “in” or “on”. What David is saying is that “in or on my God I have leaped over a wall.” Our dependence is not in our own ability…it is our total dependence on God’s ability!
The word “leap” is dalak which means to leap or skip. This is a mighty leap! It is literally a leap of faith! Webster’s defines this as “an act of believing in or attempting something whose existence or outcome cannot be proved.” It is a blind belief and a blind confidence in God’s promise and faithfulness. (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper study of faith)
I am thankful that God isn’t asking me to fight any physical battles or to go out and jump over walls. But David’s words in that chapter still totally apply to me…I have a God that can help me do anything that He wants me to do. I cannot do things on my own, but with His strength I can do what He wants me to do.
Truth be told, we can’t leap over a wall or accomplish great things for the Lord unless we’re doing them with the Lord. As sons and daughters of the Most High, we have access to the same strength that enabled Jesus to live an overcoming life…and to conquer even death. He has given to us that same authority and power that gave Christ victory over sin, death, hell and the grave.
What is that mountain before you that is posing insurmountable? What is that impossible situation that has kept sleep away from you? What wall seems too high? No matter what the case may be, there is a higher and greater force that is there for you. By this higher power you can run through a troop and, if you need to, leap over a wall. That power is Jesus!
