“Opposition is an evidence of God’s blessing. It is an opportunity for us to grow!” A quote from my friend, instructor, and pastor, Michael Hanson, in relation to Nehemiah & Me, Chapter 4. I guess you could argue, "That it depends on which end of the opposition you're on." If you've been having a rough time trying to start a new project or ministry or even doing your best to walk in the Spirit of the LORD, but feel you keep stumbling, then opposition is actually a good sign. It means you're making progress. It also means, God is blessing you, and the devil is discouraged by your success. In the book of Nehemiah, opposition shows up in the form of enemies who don't want Nehemiah to complete the rebuilding of the wall because it would be bad for their business. No wall is good for business because the crooks and cranks can come and go as they please. These oppositional offenders kept Nehemiah busy putting out the fires of their schemes and fears that penetrated the hearts of the Israelites working on the wall of Jerusalem. The scenes described in Nehemiah, brought to my mind, scenes of another type of very real, very present opposition.
Recently in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, and many other states, even countries, there has been much protesting over of the murder of George Floyd, an African American, who died in police custody in Minnesota. For the past week, peaceful protesters kneel in the streets while raising their hands and chanting, "Don't shoot," or "I can't breathe," "Black lives matter!" Meanwhile, it appears that other groups infiltrate the peaceful protesters, getting them to participate in yelling, screaming, throwing bottles and fireworks at the police, starting fires, breaking store windows, and walking off with whatever merchandise they want. The two groups end up merging and committing violent acts. Many people from the side of the peaceful protesters express this is not the way to honor George Floyd's memory. In this case, opposition is not a good thing.
Yesterday, during my walk as I headed home, my feet suddenly felt like I was wearing slow, heavy, concrete boots. The invisible boots made it hard to lift my feet and continue in the direction I wanted to go . . . home. I finally caught on that my feet were actually fighting me. I wanted to walk straight; they wanted to walk in circles. I wanted to walk across the yard; they wanted to spiral downhill. Anticipating I was not going to win this battle, I tried to slow down, and make my way to a bench. It only got worse. My support gave out, and I fell backwards. Since I didn't see anyone peering out of a window or walking by, I sat up and waited a couple of minutes before standing. And then life and limbs returned to normal. I made it home without any further incidents.
This morning, as I still puzzled over what happened to me yesterday, I randomly opened my Bible to Ezekiel 18:31. God said, "Cast away your transgressions . . . and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit." What a great verse! That is exactly what Jesus can do for us. He gives us a a new heart and a new spirit.
Next, I opened to Galatians 5:16. "Walk in the spirit . . . for the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." Okay, sounds like me. I'm always making a list of spiritual and worldly (fleshly) things I want: Discipline, more wisdom and understanding. and a black Chevy truck to pull an RV; if no truck, then I'd settle for the mint green futon I saw on WayFair. Perhaps you do the same thing. On one hand, you want to get up earlier and pray; while the other hand votes for "sleeping in." You want to save money for a mission trip or donate to "Feed the World," but you really, really want that duvet you saw online.
I started thinking about Galatians 5. Yesterday, my body and spirit were in conflict, contrary to each other. My spirit said, "Go home," but my feet refused to cooperate. The result was I fell. This sadly represents what is happening, particularly in the U.S. There are those individuals who want a peaceful protest, and those who want attention-getting violence. In a way, it is spirits at war (see Ephesians 6:12). Only, when the war is played out on the earthly stage, we don't realize what's happening. Instead of resisting, we find those who want peace, caught in the rapids of violence and poor choices. We all fall down, "And we do not do the things that we wish." Unless, of course, the opposition gets what they want.
What the peaceful protesters want is to be noticed, and for better policing policies, and reforms, and not to be judged by skin color. We all hope the peaceful demonstrations will bring together neighborhoods, government leaders, police, and families to bring about new reforms. Meanwhile, we have an opportunity, to work together as we've been doing with COVID-19, searching for a vaccine while manufacturing respirators and masks, hoping, praying, and believing that eventually, our enemy, the virus, will die out.
Our biggest weapon against the oppositional enemy is working together in the Spirit of love, different than the love of the flesh. In Galatians 5:13, Paul writes about freedoms of the press and speech.
"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another . . . For all the law is fulfilled in one words, even in this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another."
