“Let us run with endurance the race set before us“
Reading a lot in the book of Deuteronomy these days reminded me of this: In order to possess the “land of milk and honey“ and live in it, the people of Israel must fight first. They must be ready for battle.
If it was like this for them, then so it is with us. In the letters of Saint Paul the Apostle we frequently find metaphors of fighting, warfare and of contesting in a race:
“(…) pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith!“
1 Timothy 6: 11-12
“Therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Messiah Yeshua. (…) Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Messiah Yeshua. (…) Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned victorious unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to receive the first share of the crops.“
2 Timothy 2: 1-6
“Don‘t you know that in a stadium the runners all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win!“
1 Corinthians 9: 24
“Be on the alert! Stand firm in the faith! Be men of courage! Be strong! Let all that you do be done in love.“
1 Corinthians 16: 13-14
“But this one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal of the reward of the upward calling of God in Messiah Yeshua.“
Philippians 3: 13-14
“Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith.“
Hebrews 12: 1-2
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you are able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (…) Stand firm then! Buckle the belt of truth around your waist and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Strap up your feet in readiness with the Good News of shalom. Above all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Ruach on every occasion, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, keep alert with perseverance and supplication for all the kedoshim.“
Ephesians 6: 10-18
But all this fighting can be exhausting. Just reading these verses about the spiritual battle we are involved in can already make us feel at least as weary and tired as Peter, John, and James were in the Garden of Gethsemane – falling asleep while Jesus was fighting in prayer.
And all of us women will wish to ask immediately, just in case, hoping to get out of this: Fighting? Isn‘t it for men only? To not beat too much around the bush here: The answer is no.
Because I was so drained and downcast during the long winter months which we have just recently left behind us, I will not simply think about “fighting“ or “running the race“ here – but about doing it “with courage and joy“. May I from now on not forget and not disregard all the various verses from Sacred Scripture gathered together here, even if a season of darkness should press upon me yet again.
Indeed, just as Michael Patrick Kelly sang some years ago, there are days…
“(…) when you feel so out of touch. / Even the angel on my shoulder has had enough.
Michael Patrick Kelly, Safe Hands
I feel like a boy against Goliath / Who’s laughing down at my desires.
All my armor is full of holes and full of rust.
One of those nights where you get no rest at all / Counting the headlights trace a path across the wall.“
“When the demons on my shoulder / Are getting louder, getting bolder.“
The fainthearted shall go home
Did you ever find this passage in the book of Deuteronomy striking, and even a bit amusing – if it was not maybe you and me who are sent home here?
“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horse and chariot – a people more numerous than you – do not be afraid of them. For ADONAI your God, the One who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. When you draw near to the battle, the kohen will come forward and speak to the people. He will say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near today to the battle against your enemies. Don‘t be fainthearted! Don‘t fear or panic or tremble because of them. For ADONAI your God is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you.‘ (…)
Deuteronomy 20: 1-8
The officers will speak further to the troops and say, ‘What man is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house – so he does not weaken his brothers‘ heart like his own.‘“
The word “fainthearted“ used here indicates that the attitude we should avoid in fighting because it weakens both us and our companions has something to do with the state of our heart. It is the condition of a heart that lacks hope in the almighty power and goodness of the Lord.
Courage as a spiritual weapon – but where does courage come from?
Courage is the opposite of faintheartedness. Etymologically, courage stems from the Latin word for heart: cor. And so, again, it is a certain state or condition of our heart. And in various stories in the Old Testament it is the outstanding and foremost spiritual weapon the one fighting successfully is taking up.
“Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of ADONAI that ADONAI spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses‘ aide saying: ‘My servant Moses is dead. So now, arise, you and all these people, cross over this Jordan to the land that I am giving to them – to Bnei-Yisrael. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I am giving to you, as I spoke to Moses. (…) No one will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail or forsake you. Chazak! Be strong! For you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers to give them. (…) Have I not commanded you? Chazak! Be strong! Do not be terrified or dismayed, for ADONAI your God is with you wherever you go.‘“
Joshua 1: 1-9
God commands Joshua who is about to lead the people of Israel into the promised land – which will require doing battle with Israel’s enemies – to be strong and courageous. In place of the Hebrew expression “chazak“ here, you will find in most translations something like “take courage“ or “be courageous“. “Chazak“ can mean both “strength“ and “courage“. In any case, we see in this passage a link between being “strong“ and being “courageous“.
If we think back to our everyday life experiences, then we immediately know how the relationship between “strength“ and “courage“ works: We will enter into a situation that presents a task or challenge to us rather “fainthearted“ whenever we are not prepared for it, whenever we lack the necessary competence (“strength“) to master it, whenever we feel overwhelmed by it. On the other hand, we will enter into it with “courage“ if we feel confident in our ability to do what we shall do, in our ability to reach the goal.
Courage, then, the ability to actively take up the challenge, “to arise (…) and cross over this Jordan“ (Jos 1: 2), is not just “having no fear“ or “disregarding our fear“ in a groundless way. This is not what it means. Rather, it is closely related to a feeling of strength and confidence that effectually reduces one‘s fear.
So let us look at both Deuteronomy chapter 20 and Joshua chapter 1 again. We can easily see that the strength and confidence the people of Israel shall feel – to derive courage from it – is not merely their own strength, is not a mere confidence in themselves – but instead in God and His might.
The enemies are “more numerous“ (Dt 20: 1) and better equipped. What is to give Israel courage is not their own competence alone – in fact, if they only focus on that, they will “lose heart“. The root of their courage, of their strong heart, must be their confident trust in their God – “the One who goes with you, to fight for you“ (Dt. 20: 4), who “is with you wherever you go“ (Jos 1: 9).
It is the very same courage in the story of the shepherd boy David fighting succesfully against Goliath.
“The Philistines were standing on the mountain on one side, and Israel was standing on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. Then a champion stepped out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (…) Upon seeing him, all the men of Israel fled from him in great fear.“
1 Samuel 17: 3-4; 24
“Then David asked the men who were standing by him saying, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the ranks of the living God?“
1 Samuel 17: 26
“Then Saul said to David, ‘You can‘t go fight this Philistine – for you‘re just a youth, and he‘s been a warrior since his youth.‘
1 Samuel 17: 33-40
But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been tending his father‘s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb out of its mouth. If it rose up against me, I grabbed him by its fur, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, so this uncircumcised Philistine will become like one of them – since he has defied the ranks of the living God.‘
Then David said, ‘ADONAI, who has delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.‘
‘Go!‘ said Saul to David, ‘and may ADONAI be with you.‘
Then Saul clothed David with his own garb, put a bronze helmet on his head, and clothed him in armor. David strapped his sword on his garment and tried to walk, but he was not used to it. So David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk in these, for I am not used to them.‘ So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the valley, put them in the pocket of the shepherd‘s bag that he had, and with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.“
“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You are coming to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I am coming to you in the Name of ADONAI-Tzva‘ot, God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day ADONAI will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and take your head off you, and I will give the carcasses of the Philistines‘ camp today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth. Then all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, and so all this assembly will know that ADONAI delivers not with sword and spear – for the battle belongs to ADONAI – and He will give you into our hands.‘“
1 Samuel 17: 45-47
David puts his trust in the God of Israel, the “God of the armies of Israel“ (1 Sam 17: 45). Unlike the “uncircumcised“ Philistines, Israel – circumcised – is in covenant with this God who has promised them His faithfulness. David believes like Joshua that God, the God who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt with an outstretched arm, is with him. His personal experiences with God, who has delivered him out of difficulties before, and all the challenges and tasks he has mastered throughout his life give him confidence.
It is noteworthy, that David can only enter into the battle as the man he is – as the young shepherd, the son of Jesse. With Saul‘s warrior garment he “cannot walk“ (1 Sam 17: 39). Come as you are. Not with a sword and a spear, but with five stones and a sling – have you ever thought of the Rosary with its five sets of beads on a string when you have read this passage? Or maybe it is just me… – he takes on Goliath and defeats him.
David‘s strength and courage is his faith and confidence in God, in the strength and loyalty of the God he knows as “the rock that is higher than I“ (Psalm 61: 3).
“From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength before the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.“
Psalm 61: 3-5
“I love you, ADONAI my strength! ADONAI is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in Him I take refuge, my shield, my horn of salvation, my stronghold. I called upon ADONAI, worthy of praise, and I was rescued from my enemies. Cords of death entangled me. Torrents of Belial overwhelmed me. Cords of Sheol coiled around me. Snares of death came before me. In my distress I called on ADONAI, and cried to my God for help. (…)
Psalm 18: 2-51
He reached down from on high and took hold of me. He drew me out of mighty waters. He saved me from my powerful enemy, from those who hated me – for they were much stronger than me. They came against me in my day of calamity, but ADONAI was my support. He brought me out to a wide-open place. He rescued me since He delighted in me. (…)
For You light up my lamp. ADONAI my God shines in my darkness. For with You I rush on a troop, with my God I scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect. The word of ADONAI is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, except ADONAI? And who is a Rock, except our God? God girds me with strength and makes my way straight. He makes my feet like those of deer and makes me stand on my heights. He trains my hands for battle, so my arms can bend a bronze bow. You gave me the shield of Your salvation. Your right hand upholds me, Your gentleness makes me great. (…)
He shows loyal love to His anointed – to David and his seed, forever.“
“My soul, wait in stillness, only for God – for from Him comes my expectation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my strong tower – I will not be moved. On God, my salvation and my glory is the rock of my strength. My refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart in His presence. God is our refuge.“
Psalm 62: 6-9
“But I – I sing of Your strength! Yes, in the morning I sing aloud of Your lovingkindness. For You have been my fortress, a refuge in the day of my trouble. O my strength, to You I sing praises. For God is my strong tower – my God of lovingkindness.“
Psalm 59: 17-18
It is God who chases away the faintheartedness and gives courage – a strong heart – if we turn to Him as our rock and our shelter. How beautiful are King David‘s songs of prayer speaking of and praising God‘s character… I love the line “Your gentleness makes me great“ in Psalm 18, and I think we should meditate on it long and wide.
Speaking of that, in the book of Joshua we encounter yet another secret medicine against fainting hearts and feeble knees (“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble!“ (Hebrews 12:12)):
“This book of the Torah should not depart from your mouth – you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous and then you will be successful.“
Joshua 1: 8
Meditating on the Word of God that reveals to us who God is makes us strong. In its depth, width and height this Word is Jesus, the Word made flesh.
And to answer, once more, the question whether fighting (with courage) is only for men: Judith is David‘s female counterpart. Like David, she prayerfully relies on her God in all needs. And like the weak shepherd David, she, a weak woman, takes off the enemy‘s head in the strength of the Lord.
“For your strength does not depend on numbers, nor your might on the powerful. But you are the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of those without hope. Please, please, God of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all your creation, hear my prayer!“
Judith 9: 11-12; 14
“Let your whole nation and every tribe know and understand that you are God, the God of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone!”
“Then she said to them with a loud voice, ‘Praise God, O praise him! Praise God, who has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but has destroyed our enemies by my hand this very night!‘“
Judith 13: 14
Before Judith was this successful in the spiritual battle God had for her to fight, she had been spending years in deep prayer as a widowed woman.
In any case – Joshua, David, Judith – courage and inner strength comes first of all from an intimate knowledge, a knowledge inside one‘s heart, of God and His true character, acquired through prayer, through communication with God, “pouring out our hearts in His presence“ (Psalm 62), and through learning, through studying God‘s living Word and our own life experiences with Him.
A phrase that keeps reappearing across the pages of the books of the Old Testament is the expression of the “Lord of Hosts“ – of armies – as a title for God, in Hebrew “ADONAI-Tzva‘ot“. The idea is that God is the King and Commander of all angels and saints who are His “troops“.
And so the archangels, angels, and all saints are also with us in our battles. We can feel strong, confident, and competent because they are. Remember how in the passage from the first book of Samuel quoted above, David called God by that very name in his speech before defeating Goliath. This expression also appears in a very encouraging psalm by “one of the sons of Korah“ (Psalm 46: 1):
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth change, though the mountains topple into the heart of the seas, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at their swelling. Selah.
Psalm 46
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God – the holy dwelling place of Elyon. God is in the midst of her, she will not be shaken. God will help her when morning dawns. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms totter, He utters His voice, the earth melts!
ADONAI-Tzva‘ot is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Come, see the works of ADONAI, who brings devastations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns chariots with fire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth.‘ ADONAI-Tzva‘ot is with us. The God of Jacob is our strong tower. Selah.“
While Peter, James, and John had fallen asleep, “an angel from heaven“ was right beside Jesus as He prayed on the Mount of Olives:
“Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And in His anguish, He was praying fervently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling down on the ground. When He rose up from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them asleep, exhausted from grief.“
Luke 22: 43-45
Just like God, “the Keeper of Israel“ who “neither slumbers nor sleeps“ (Psalm 121: 4), His angels and saints who partake in His nature and serve Him lovingly are always awake and ready to help and encourage us.
And then, to “take heart“ is a command given to us by Jesus before He went to the cross, something we simply ought to put into practice, like any other commandment He has taught us. The Holy Spirit who is poured out in our hearts will assist us in “taking heart“. Because fortitude is also one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit who is a spirit “of power and love and self-discipline“ – and not of “timidity“ (2 Timothy 1: 7).
“In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!“
John 16: 33
“I pray that from His glorious riches He would grant you to be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Ruach, so that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith.“
Ephesians 3: 16-17
Joy as a spiritual weapon – but where does joy come from?
“(…) the joy of ADONAI is your strength.“
Nehemiah 8: 10
The context of this verse is the celebration of the Sukkot festival by those who have returned to Jerusalem from captivity together with Nehemiah. After the successful rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, the people assemble at “the plaza that was before the Water Gate“ (Nehemiah 8: 1). There the Levites read out the Torah, “distinctly explaining it and giving insight“ (Nehemiah 8: 8).
As the people start weeping upon hearing the words of the Torah of God, the Levites intervene, urging them to “not mourn or weep“ (Nehemiah 8: 9). It was probably a weeping of remorse over their sins and over their lot of captivity. But the Levites command the people to be joyful instead:
“‘Go! Eat choice food, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who have nothing ready. For today is kadosh to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of ADONAI is your strength.‘
Nehemiah 8: 10-12
Then the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Hush! For today is kadosh. Do not grieve.‘ So all the people departed to eat and drink, to send portions and to celebrate with great joy (…).“
Today is “kadosh“ – “holy“ – to the Lord, and that is the reason for the joyful celebration. Sukkot is one of the holy festivals God commanded Israel to celebrate each year at the appointed time when He gave them the instructions of their covenant with Him at Mount Sinai.
“You are to keep the Feast of Sukkot for seven days, after gathering in the produce from your threshing floor and winepress. So you will rejoice in your feast – you, your son and daughter, slave and maid, Levite and outsider, orphan and widow within your gates. Seven days you will feast to ADONAI your God in the place He chooses, because ADONAI your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hand, and you will be completely filled with joy.“
Deuteronomy 16: 13-15
Sukkot is a festival of thanksgiving. It is a holy feast because it is a feast unto the Lord who is holy. The Levites remind the people that joy is not optional – it is obligatory. It is, as strange as it might sound, a holy duty. It must be done.
And, indeed, the people stop weeping then and celebrate the festival with a joy that “was very great“ (Nehemiah 8: 17).
This verse “the joy of the LORD is your strength“ is very rich in meaning: It means that joy is strength – it is a spiritual shield and weapon. And it tells us that, ultimately, it is not “our“ joy but the “joy of God“, in which we share – which He shares with us. We must only allow ourselves to receive it, open ourselves up to it – or ask for it, if we have really run dry on it, because whenever we ask for the full measure of God‘s Holy Spirit, He will give it to us.
God continually rejoices in His two perpetual works: the work of creation, and the work of salvation. The holy day of Sabbath, the seventh day, and the holy eight day of Christ‘s resurrection correspond to this joy in all the perfect and completed works of God, and are the template for every holy festival of thanksgiving, of rejoicing with God in His works.
“So God saw everything that He made, and behold it was very good. So there was evening and there was morning – the sixth day. So the heavens and the earth were completed along with their entire array. God completed – on the seventh day – His work that He made, and He ceased – on the seventh day – from all His work that He made. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He ceased from all His work that God created for the purpose of preparing.“
Genesis 1: 31 – 2: 3
“It was evening on that day, the first of the week. When the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Judean leaders, Yeshua came and stood in their midst! And He said to them, ‘Shalom aleichem!‘ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.“
John 20: 19-20
“May the glory of ADONAI endure forever! May ADONAI rejoice in His works!“
Psalm 104: 31
Not what we do or have done is the reason for our joy, but what God has done and keeps doing for us, the blessings of both creation and salvation He bestows on us. This holy joy – the joy of the LORD – is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in us. But in case we “quench the Spirit“ (1 Thessalonians 5: 19) or “grieve the Spirit“ (Ephesians 4: 30) He has given us, how can this sweet fruit then grow in us?
Maybe we can read the Levites‘ instructions to the people assembled at the “Water Gate“ – how symbolic! – as if saying, saying to us today: “Do not grieve, do not quench the Spirit…“ The Holy Spirit works repentance in us, but repentance unto joy.
“Don‘t allow any sadness to dwell in your soul, for sadness prevents the Holy Spirit from acting freely.“
Saint Padre Pio
Joy is all over the pages of Sacred Scripture. It is not a minor issue, it is at the center of the Torah, the prophetic books, the wisdom literature, the psalms, the gospels, and the epistles of the Apostles.
A piety without joy is not the piety of both the Old and the New Covenant, and therefore a piety without joy should make us suspicious. There is so much joy in heaven, that we need to be prepared for it by foretastes of this joy here on earth.
“Be merry, really merry. The life of a Christian should be a perpetual joy, a prelude to the festival of eternity.“
Saint Theophane Venard
“All the way to heaven is heaven.“
Saint Catherine of Siena
“Happiness is not a destination, it‘s a method of travel.“
Saint John of the Cross
And again: Joy is also strength, it is a spiritual shield and weapon. The enemy of our soul and all his demons hate joy – they hate the “joy of the LORD“.
The angels eternally rejoice together with God and sing their praises, extoling God‘s holiness, His love, mercy, and justice, and His complete victory, His all-in-allness (“myriads of angels, a joyous gathering“ (Hebrew 12: 22) – “they do not rest day or night, chanting, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God of Hosts‘ (Revelation 4: 8)).
But the fallen angels could not bring themselves to join in the festive procession. Sacred Scripture teaches that the devil fell out of “envy“ (“through the devil’s envy death entered the world“ (Wis 2: 24)). Well, envy and communal, fraternal joy are incompatible. Envy must lead to sadness.
“Let us leave sadness to the devil and his angels. As for us, what can we be but rejoicing and glad?“
Saint Francis of Assisi
As for being a spiritual weapon in the battlefield, the “joy of the LORD“ is – according to Scripture – able to tear down walls. We see it in the story about the fall of Jericho, and in Saint Paul‘s and Saint Silas‘ “prison break“.
“Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of Bnei-Yisrael – no one going out and no one coming in. Then ADONAI said to Joshua, ‘Look, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty warriors. Now you are to march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. So you are to do for six days. Seven kohanim will carry seven shofarot of rams‘ horns before the ark. Then on the seventh day you are to circle the city seven times while the kohanim blow the shofarot. It will be when they make a long blast with the ram‘s horn, when you hear the sound of the shofar, have all the people shout a loud shout – then the wall of the city will fall down falt, and the people will go up, everyone straight ahead.‘“
Joshua 6: 1-5
“But when her masters saw that the hope of profit was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. And when they brought them to the chief authorities, they said, ‘These men are throwing our city into an uproar! Being Jewish, they advocate customs which are not permitted for us to accept or practice, being Romans.‘ Then the crowd joined in the attack on them. So the chief authorities ripped their clothes off them and commanded them to be beaten with rods. After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to guard them securely. Having received this charge, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.“
Acts 16: 19-24
So in both stories it is about walls – about unbreakable walls. The people of Israel conquer Jericho by doing exactly what they were told to do: repeated processions led by their priests around “tightly shut up“ Jericho with the Ark of the Covenant and the blow of the shofar.
If you imagine the scenery, it is as if they celebrate victory in advance, before the victory is actually really happening. The assurance of victory is also the very first thing God tells Joshua – before giving him instructions on what to do as a public – visible and audible – demonstration of faith and confidence in His promise.
If we remember that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the “Ark of the New Covenant“, then, in New Covenant terms, these would be Marian processions, accompanied by chanting hymns.
“Now on the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on that day did they march around the city seven times. Then on the seventh time, when the kohanim blew the shofarot, Joshua ordered the people, ‘Shout! For ADONAI has given you the city!‘ (…) When the people heard the sound of the shofar, the people shouted a loud shout – and the wall fell down flat! So the people went up into the city, everyone straight ahead, and they captured the city.“
Joshua 6: 15-20
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were circled for seven days.“
Hebrews 11: 30
And when Paul and Silas praise their God in the Spirit of holy joy, chains come loose and doors open up:
“But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was such a great earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors were unlocked, and everyone‘s chains came loose.“
Acts 16: 25-26
Praying and rejoicing often go together in the epistles of Saint Paul, and chanting psalms and hymns is one of the arrows in the manifold quiver of the holy joy that expresses thankfulness unto God, casts an atmosphere of the peace of Christ, and tears down strongholds and chases away evil spirits:
“Keep serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, enduring in distress, persisting in prayer, contributing to the needs of the kedoshim, extending hospitality.“
Romans 12: 11-13
“Rejoice in the Lord always – again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything – but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.“
Philippians 4: 4-7
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, in everything give thanks; for this is God‘s will for you in Messiah Yeshua. Do not quench the Spirit (…).“
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-19
“Let the shalom of Messiah rule in your hearts – to this shalom you were surely called in one body. Also be thankful. Let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratitude in your hearts to God.“
Colossians 3: 15-16
Saint Augustine of Hippo said, “To sing is to pray twice“. Chanted prayer, then, is very powerful.
“Singing is a lover‘s thing.“
Saint Augustine of Hippo
“A Christian should be an Alleluia from head to foot.“
“Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run.“
And so we are called to fight, to run the race of love with courage and joy, with a strong heart and in the Holy Spirit. Celebrating holy feasts joyfully, visible and audible processions, and singing hymns are spiritual weapons we cannot do without.
We always depend on God‘s grace. We are not able to overcome the influence of evil spirits, that are always bent unto morbidity, and outbursts of excessive sadness and faintheartedness without the “joy of the LORD“.
Let us, finally, remember the story of the downcast and tormented King Saul who is cheered up by the music played by the son of Jesse…
“Now the Ruach ADONAI had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from ADONAI terrified him. So Saul‘s courtiers said to him, ‘Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your courtiers in your service to search for a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes on you, he will play with his instrument and you will feel better.‘
1 Samuel 16: 14-23
So Saul said to his courtiers, ‘Find me someone who can play well and bring him to me.‘
One of the young men answered and said, ‘I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite who is skillful in playing music. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, a handsome man, and ADONAI is with him.‘
So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, ‘Send me your son David, who is with the flock.‘ So Jesse took a donkey, loaded it with bread, a bottle of wine and a young goat, and sent them with his son David to Saul. Then David came to Saul and became one of his attendants. Saul loved him greatly, so David became his armor-bearer. Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, ‘Let David now keep attending me, for he has found favor in my eyes.‘ It came to pass, whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand. So Saul would find relief and feel better, as the evil spirit departed from him.“
David, the son of Jesse, was “a mighty man of valor, a warrior“ (1 Samuel 16: 18) and anointed with the Spirit of God (“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. From that day on Ruach ADONAI came mightily upon David.“ (1 Samuel 16: 13)). And so the music David played was a weapon against the evil spirit that made King Saul suffer.
But who is our “root of Jesse“ – even mightier than David, with a song of praise on His lips even sweeter than the sounds of David‘s ten stringe lyre?
“Then a shoot will come forth out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch will bear fruit out of His roots. The Ruach of ADONAI will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and insight, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of ADONAI.“
Isaiah 11: 1-2; 10
“It will also come about in that day that the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek for Him, and His resting place will be glorious.“
“Blessed be ADONAI, because He has heard the sound of my supplications. ADONAI is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him, and I was helped. Therefore my heart leaps for joy, and I will praise Him with my song. ADONAI is their strength – a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.“
Psalm 28: 6-8
Like a strong man runs his course with joy – Christ‘s authority and joy
Laboring without joy is slavery and misery. We are not called to slavery, but to the freedom of the children of God who labor in love, and therefore with joy. Yet again: our joy – supernatural joy even in difficulties, trials, sufferings (“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.“ (James 1: 2-4)) – is a partaking in God‘s joy, just like our loving is a participation in God‘s love who has loved us first.
The Son of God took on human flesh to share in our sufferings, and to give us a share in His peace and His joy. His yoke is light, not heavy. He has called everyone who is weary and burdened to come unto Him, while every pharao proclaims: “Let even heavier work be laid upon the men, so that they must labor“ (Ex 5: 9).
“They worked them harshly, and made their lives bitter with hard labor with mortar and brick, doing all sorts of work in the fields. In all their labors they worked them with cruelty.“
Exodus 1: 13-14
Israel‘s exodus out of Egypt is God‘s judgment – the judgment of the “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth“ (Ex 34: 6) – upon all pharaos enslaving His people:
“(…) and I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt.“
Exodus 12: 12
Similarily, Jesus tells the apostles that His death on the cross is a judgment and a liberation, like the exodus of old.
“Now is the judgment of this world! Now the prince of this world will be driven out! And as I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to Myself.“
John 12: 31-32
The Son of God takes away the bricks, and the straw, and the mortar, and gives us bread from heaven, sweet manna, instead:
“It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.“
Exodus 16: 31
“How sweet is Your word to my taste – yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!“
Psalm 119: 103
“Taste and see how good ADONAI is. (…) Young lions may lack, and go hungry, but those who seek ADONAI want for no good thing.“
Psalm 34: 9-11
With Him, what is bitter becomes sweet.
“When they came to Marah, they could not drink from the waters because they were bitter. On account of this it was called Marah. So the people complained to Moses saying, ‘What are we going to drink?‘ So he cried out to ADONAI, and ADONAI showed him a tree. When he threw it into the waters, they were made sweet.“
Exodus 15: 23-25
Can we try to begin to understand that being the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus on His earthly course always had joy, the “joy of the LORD“ – even in His passion, as His sweat fell like drops of blood in His anguish, as He was beaten, spit on, worked “with cruelty“ (Ex 1: 14) by the Roman soldiers, and nailed to the cross? He was joyful in all of it because He was on a mission to completely fulfill the will of the Father.
In the gospel of Saint John, the disciple “whom Yeshua loved“ (John 13: 23), the love, the peace, and the joy of the Messiah in all things – even in the harsh sufferings of His trial and crucifixion – is highlighted more than in any other of the four gospel accounts. The Son is sent by the Father for our salvation – and He delights in fulfilling the Father‘s will.
“I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call on the Name of ADONAI. I will fulfill my vows to ADONAI in the presence of all His people.“
Psalm 116: 13-14; 17-19
“To You I will offer a sacrifice of praise (…) in your midst, O Jerusalem.“
Everything in the life of the Son, from His conception and birth to His passion on the cross, His resurrection and ascension, is God‘s glorious victory over sin, death, satan and his array of demons.
“I glorified You on earth by finishing the work that You have given Me to do.“
John 17: 4
“When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!‘ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.“
John 19: 30
At the beginning, we have read a line from the letter to the Hebrews talking about running “the race set before us“ “with endurance“ (Hebrews 12: 1) – “focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith“ (Hebrews 12: 2). Let us now look at the second part of this verse, the very part that can point out to us that Jesus was full of joy in everything:
“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and lose heart.“
Hebrews 12: 2-3
On the sixth day, the very day on which Adam was created, the New Adam redeemed mankind, laboring for us in love. On the seventh day, the day of God’s rest, He rested from all His works. On the eighth day, His victory and the New Creation rose with the dawn and shone forth into all the world. “For the joy set before Him“ – for the delight He takes in every single human soul saved by the sacrifice of His Body and His Blood, delivered out of slavery in Egypt, out of the house of bondage, to be eternally His own – “He endured the cross“ (Hebrews 12: 2).
Jesus‘ final words to His apostles as recorded in the gospel of Saint John are all about love, peace, and joy. It is all about their participation in His love, peace, and joy.
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.“
John 15: 11
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have shalom. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!“
John 16: 33
“I say these words while I am still in the world, so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.“
John 17: 13
Saint John‘s account strongly accentuates Jesus‘ authority and Him being the bridegroom who inaugurates the wedding feast between God and mankind: Jesus’ first miracle in Saint John‘s gospel is turning water into wine – “wine that makes man’s heart glad“ (Psalm 104: 15) – after the wine has run out. Later He calls Himself “the true vine“ through whom the branches abiding in Him produce the “fruit“ of the vine. These fruits (of the Holy Spirit) are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control“ (Galatians 5: 22-23).
As the Son of God, He knows what He is doing. He knows why He is enduring the cross. And at the same time, though He is the Messiah, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, exalted so highly above them, while they are mere men, He bids His disciples to be very close to Him, as close as friends are. He has chosen them as His friends, and His death on the cross is His act of friendship toward them.
“No one has greater love than this: that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I am no longer calling you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. Now I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you.“
John 15: 13-16
Every good gift from the Father, Jesus shares with His friends, as it is among friends. Friends do not withhold anything good from one another. Therefore, His love, His peace, and His joy are ours, too.
“Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter: whoever finds one has found a treasure. Faithful friends are beyond price; no amount can balance their worth. Faithful friends are life-saving medicine; and those who fear the Lord will find them.“
Sirach 6: 14-16
“(…) Jonathan‘s soul was knit to David‘s soul, and Jonathan loved him as himself. (…) Then Jonathan cut a covenant with David, because he loved him as himself. Jonathan stripped off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, along with his armor: his sword, bow and belt.“
1 Samuel 18: 1-4
“How is your lover different from other lovers, O most beautiful among women? How is your lover different from other lovers that you charge us so? My lover is dazzling and ruddy, standing out among ten thousand. His head is purest gold, his hair is wavy, black as a raven. His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, washed with milk, mounted in their settings. His cheeks are like a bed of spice, towers of sweet-scented perfume. His lips are lilies, dripping with liquid myrrh. His hands are rods of gold set with jasper. His abdomen is carved ivory inlaid with sapphires. His legs are pillars of alabaster set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon – excellent like the cedars. His mouth is sweetness. Yes, he is totally desirable. This is my lover! Yes, this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.“
Song of Songs 5: 9-16
And are not these verses in Psalm 19 also talking about Him, our Messiah, the most excellent friend, the joyful lover?
“In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.“
Psalm 19: 5-7
“From the rising of the sun to its going down the Name of ADONAI is to be praised.“
Psalm 113: 3
“‘For from sunrise to its setting My Name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to My Name with a pure grain offering, for My Name will be great among the nations,‘ says ADONAI-Tzva‘ot.“
Malachi 1: 11
Why did darkness come upon the land when Christ was crucified?
“When the sixth hour had come, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.“
Mark 15: 33
Three hours of darkness… When Israel was led out of Egypt, three days of darkness – “a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt“ (Ex 10: 22) – was the final plague before the plague of the death of the firstborn hit from which the children of Israel were delivered by applying the blood of a lamb “without blemish“ (Ex 12: 5). It was a darkness so thick that it makes one blind.
“Yet all Bnei-Yisrael had light within their dwellings.“
Exodus 10: 23
During these three hours of darkness, the Son of God on the cross shone as radiant as the sun – “ADONAI is high above all nations, His glory is above the heavens“, “enthroned on high“ He “lifts up the needy out of the dunghill, to seat him with princes, with the princes of His people“ (Psalm 113: 4-8).
“When the centurion, who was standing in front of Him, saw the way Yeshua breathed His last, he said, ‘This Man really was the Son of God!‘“
Mark 15: 39
Jesus ran the race the Father had set before Him “like a strong man“ who “runs his course with joy“… A man stronger than anyone else.
“But if I drive out demons by the Ruach Elohim, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man‘s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he will thoroughly plunder his house.“
Matthew 12: 28-29
“Loved ones, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. (…) This is the spirit of the anti-messiah, which you have heard is coming and now is already in the world. You are from God, children, and you have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.“
1 John 4: 1-4
“But you, loved ones, continue building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Ruach ha-Kodesh. Keep yourselves in the love of God, eagerly waiting for the mercy of Our Lord Yeshua the Messiah that leads to eternal life. (…) Now to the One who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Yeshua the Messiah our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, both now and forever. Amen.“
Jude 20-25
“I thank my God at every memory of you, always praying with joy in every prayer of mine for you all, because of your sharing in the Good News, from the first day until now. I am sure of this very thing – that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the Day of Messiah Yeshua. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart – for you are all partakers of grace with me (…).“
Philippians 1: 3-7
Post scriptum: Fighting like in a battle or running the race like an athlete – on different metaphors used
When I began writing on this article about courage and joy as “spiritual weapons“, I chose, at first, the military metaphor of “fighting“ for its heading. But in the end I decided to switch to the athletic image of “running the race“ which is the one that occurs in the verses in the book of Hebrews that call on us to focus on Jesus as the “author“ of our faith who endured the cross “for the joy set before Him“.
As these lines in Hebrews follow immediately after a long recollection, beginning with Abel, Adam‘s son, about the power of faith, they somehow weave everything into one: faith, courage, strength, joy – and Jesus as the source of it. Let us look at them again, this time in a different translation which strongly points out the athletic imagery:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.“
Hebrews 12: 1-2, New Living Translation
The military and the athletic imagery is often used side by side in the letters of Saint Paul. Just a couple of words later we read that “in struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed“ (Hebrews 12: 4) which makes one think of Jesus‘ struggle in the garden on the Mount of Olives before His crucifixion.
Yet, these metaphors, though somehow both compatible with one another and convertible, are also different, of course. Fighting as if in a battle is a different “activity“ than running a race like an athlete. What they have in common is their goal: victory. And both successful fighting and successful running require “training“ and a determined exertion of energy.
The metaphor of “running“ is akin to another very frequent metaphor in both the Old and the New Testament scriptures: “walking“ – “in the way“ of the Lord, “by faith“ (2 Cor 5: 7), “by the Spirit“ (Galatians 5: 16). In that sense, the athlete is a relative of the pilgrim.
Running is just another form of walking, right? Faster. With more power. With more focus. With more resoluteness. There is a certain suspense in running, a straining of our muscles. We apply more force than in walking, pushing forward. We all know that resistance is sometimes overcome by force – and simply by that.
And we all know that both a fast and a slow pace have a way of reinforcing themselves: In a slow pace, we might become ever slower along the way; in a fast pace ever faster. Both can be a real problem: too fast as well as too slow.
“Slowing down“ is a very fashionable idea these days, yet it has a downside if we overdo it: It makes us more prone to inertia; it can make us sluggish; it may reduce our lively “awakeness“. But we are called to “be alert“ – because alertness is a shield against falling into temptation and against being beleaguered by the devil:
“Keep watching and praying, so that you won‘t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.“
Matthew 26: 41
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.“
Colossians 4: 2
“Stay alert! Watch out! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being laid upon your brothers and sisters throughout the world. After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace – who has called you into His eternal glory in Messiah – will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.“
1 Peter 5: 8-10
Interestingly enough, there is a warning in the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews concerning a walk that is “too slow“, that allows too much for “limping“:
“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble! And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be pulled out of joint but rather be healed.“
Hebrews 12: 12-13, Tree of Life Translation
“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.“
Hebrews 12: 12-13, New Living Translation
“So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied andtottering knees, and cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.“
Hebrews 12: 12-13, Amplified Bible Classic Edition
A passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah is quoted here, a passage with a very hopeful coloring, in fact:
“Strenghten the limp hands, make firm the wobbly knees. Say to those with anxious hearts, ‘Be strong, have no fear!‘ Behold, your God! (….)
Isaiah 35: 3-4; 6; 8
Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing. For water will burst worth in the desert and streams in the wilderness. (…)
A highway will be there – a roadway. It will be called the Way of Holiness. (…)“
What is the pace by which we “keep in step with the Spirit“ (Galatians 5: 25) on the highway of holiness? In any case, Saint Paul chooses to paint the picture in terms of “running“ as somewhat the right kind of pace and the right kind of walking style – running, and not limping, or staggering, or dandering.
There are different images in Sacred Scripture for the Holy Spirit, yet many of them involve elements of nature that are somewhat moving, flowing, or even flying – elements which incorporate in themselves agility, flexibility, force, lightness and speed: water, fire, wind, the cloud, oil, the dove.
“Staggering“, on the contrary, is often used in Sacred Scripture to describe a very foolish way of walking, the cup of God’s judgment or a situation of utmost distress, trouble, and confusion:
“You made your people see hardship. You made us drink wine of staggering.“
Psalm 60: 5
“In their peril their souls melted away. They reeled and staggered like a drunk, and all their skill was bewildered.“
Psalm 107: 26-27
“They wander in the streets, like blind men.“
Lamentations 4: 14
“He deprives the heads of the people of earth of understanding, and causes them to wander in a pathless wasteland. They grope in darkness with no light; He makes them stagger like a drunkard.“
Job 12: 24-25
The athletic imagery has also made me think of Saint Dominic de Guzmán. Recently I read in a book that Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy spoke of him as “the holy athlete“:
“Behind the waves that beat upon the coast, the sun, grown weary from its lengthy course, at times conceals itself from all men‘s eyes. / There, Calaroga, blessed by fortune, sits under the aegis of the mighty shield on which the lion loses and prevails. / Within its walls was born the loving vassal of Christian faith, the holy athlete, one kind to his own and harsh to enemies. / No sooner was his mind created than it was so full of living force that it, still in his mother‘s womb, made her prophetic. (…) His nurse would often find him on the ground, alert and silent, in a way that said ‘It is for this that I have come.‘ (…) Then he, with both his learning and his zeal, and with his apostolic office, like a torrent hurtled from a mountain source, / coursed, and his impetus, with greatest force, struck where the thickets of the heretics offered the most resistance. And from him / there sprang the streams with which the Catholic garden has found abundant watering, so that its saplings have more life, more green.“
Dante Alighieri, Paradiso XII, Divine Comedy
“Running the race“ is a sort of brighter and lighter metaphor than “fighting“. It is done by the “athlete“ in light garb instead of the “soldier“ in heavy armor. In that sense, it is a metaphor that not only feels close to Saint Dominic de Guzmán, but also closer to David – the young shepherd hiking across hills and valleys with his flock of grazing sheep and later, as king, “dancing before ADONAI with all his might“ (2 Sam 6: 14), “leaping and dancing before ADONAI“ (2 Sam 6: 16) – than to Saul, a man dressed in an iron rig, “taller than any one of the people“ (1 Sam 9: 2).
Yet Saul was a man who “was afraid“ and “his heart trembled greatly“ (1 Sam 28: 5) whenever he saw the camp of the Philistines; a man tormented by an “evil spirit“ when the “Ruach ADONAI had departed“ (1 Sam 16: 14) from him; a man who once asked a spiritist to “conjure up for (him) a ghost“ (1 Sam 28: 8); and eventually he died by his own hand and his own weapon – as he “took the sword and fell on it“ (1 Sam 31: 4).
“Running the race“ feels close to Judith who wore sandals on her feet (cf. Judith 10: 4) when she set out on her journey to chop off Holofernes’ head, and who crowned herself and the women who were with her in celebrating Israel‘s victory “with olive wreaths“, like champions do, and “went before all the people in the dance, leading all the women, while all the men of Israel followed, bearing their arms and wearing garlands and singing hymns“ (Judith 15: 13).
“When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon my heart, I will dance like David danced.
Joshua Aaron, David Danced (Let the Heavens Be Glad)
I will dance, I will dance, I will dance like David danced.
Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice
Let the nations say, ‘the Lord reigns!‘
I will dance, I will dance, I will dance like David danced.
I will pray, I will pray, I will pray like David prayed.
I will sing, I will sing, I will sing like David sang.“
Having fought for quite some time through the thickets of all the clouds of heavy-heartedness without much joy, I now, probably thanks to the emerging spring, which raises its little green head of hope both in the interior and the exterior world, feel like “running“ through open fields – “you broadened my steps beneath me“ (Ps 18: 37) and “brought me out to a wide-open place“ (Ps 18: 20); I feel like running with joy, with the elegance and swiftness of a gazelle even…
“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down“, it says in Hebrews 12: 1. Let us keep in step with the Spirit. Now that the sun is more visible again in the skies, let us become more like this king of all lights. To return, one last time, to Psalm 19:
“It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.“
Psalm 19: 5, New Living Translation
“Escape like a gazelle from the hunter‘s hand (…).“
Proverbs 6: 5
“Come quickly, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountain of spices!“
Song of Songs 8: 14
