The Lifting
October 8, 2021
Zakan had been off work only an hour and managed to lose an arm wrestling match with his son, shower and have the table set for dinner -- working from home kept him present as a dad. But what a struggle it had been since Lamere was hospitalized and succumbed to COVID-19, leaving him a widower. Had he been allowed, Zakan would have been at her side until the last second, but this was the one time he could not protect his wife. The whole world was in danger. Yet the thoughts of not being in the room, of Lamere knowing she was alone during those moments, of being a widower after his forever love had gone, and of now raising Lemond alone, kept him in a darkened place every single day.
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The Lifting
By Tracey Cannon
The short trip that Zakan takes from the bedroom to the shower to the kitchen, then to his work space has been many of our journey this past year and a half; we can relate to the mundane. Even when leaving home for work before this pandemic, I would occasionally take a different route and change the scenery, especially when the spring flowers would bloom and you could smell the new season. Or in the fall, when the leaves would be bursting with hues that did something fabulous for my spirit! But this, for many, has been a lock down with grief. Zakan's struggle is relatable -- wondering how to change the view or better yet, to have any EXPECTANCY of freedom from the warfare of the mind.
Do you recall, in Luke the twenty-fourth chapter, when after the crucifixion of Christ, women went to the sepulchre, including Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of Jesus? They had spices to care for the body of the Savior, but the stone had been rolled away, and He was not there. This was all they had left of Him -- now even His body was missing! But there were two angels with the message; their question and admonition were both profound.
Luke 24:4-7 says, 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why do you seek the LIVING GOD among the dead? Going to the tomb was what they did -- it was an extravagant act of love and devotion. Following the whirlwind of mental warfare is what anyone might do when the world is in trouble and the trouble is at the door for their parent, their wife, or husband, or son or daughter. The inescapable anguish is what many have kept company with. But the question though! Why do you seek the living word, the revival, the resurrection, the lifting, the breath of God among the drudgery? The next statement was equally profound for them and for us. Let me paraprase... "Remember when He was still in Galilee, before any of this happened, before the dark hour, before the first stripe on His back, He told you all of this, and that despite it all, He would rise." This was a call to sobriety and recollection -- He was careful to say that days like this would come, so they would not overtake you, and that they would not win because He was and is greater!
Remember, that Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Remember, that He said He will never leave us, nor forsake us or overlook us like orphans. Remember that He is a friend who sticks faithfully closer to you than a brother. That from sun up to sun down, despite anything that happens in between, He is worthy to be praised. Remember that He will wipe every tear from your eyes.
See, the lifting isn't in the darkness of the catastrophic, it's above it. It hovers above, in the care of God. It's in the lifting of your voice to God, and in giving Him glory even if hot tears are streaming. It's in the arm wrestle between Zakan and Lemond, or your embrace of the love you still have. It's in the soaking presence of God! If you can lift your voice with a real cry out to God, and to the praise of God's goodness for what remains, your thoughts to the wonder and splendiferous greatness of God, you can lift your life!
Psalm 24:7-8 says, 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
