The Harp and the Sword

There’s a verse we quote when we’re trying to hold ourselves together.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

But I like The Message version because it feels closer to how life actually sounds:

“This is God’s Word on the subject: As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

You see, it comes down to perception which controls our focus.

For far too long, I’ve been focusing on the fact that my mom is gone, my sister is gone, my dad is gone, abandonment from blood relatives, mental and physical health challenges, business stuff, and I simply lost my way.

I lost my way because my focus was off. I was looking at things that will change whether I do anything or not. I wasn’t focusing on the things that matter. What matters is that no matter what comes or goes, God’s got me. He has a plan AND is taking care of me.

He’s not GOING to take care of me.
He IS taking care of me, actively.

The problem is that we don’t always see His goodness. We’re blinded to it because we’re so hyper-focused on people being trash, work is trash, and “life be life-ing” but, in the midst of all of that God IS taking care of us.

For those that have truly known me, you know that I don’t do anything moderately. Either I’m all in or I’m all out. I love hard, I play hard, and don’t mess with what I love.

I love being in a good place but, “I ain’t never backed down from a fight.”

You’ve touched what I love and the fight is not only coming… it’s here.

As Believers, we spend so much time suppressing the ‘old man’ and we sometimes fail to realize that a part of who we are IS the old man. God allowed life to create the person that’s underneath all of the smiles and laughs. When we really look at church history, it wasn’t all nice and suchy-much. There were conflicts, battles, wars, and blood.

David was an anointed musician who could play and spirits would be lifted off of people. But, David was a warrior. He’s the one who ignored the status quo, slew Goliath. Then he cut off Goliath’s head with his own sword.

We like the harp. We forget the sword.

There’s a version of you that worships. And there’s a version of you that fights. Both were formed by God. Both have purpose. Both must be submitted.

The problem is when the warrior forgets that he's a warrior.

I had to recalibrate my focus. Not on what I lost. Not on who left. Not on what didn’t happen the way I thought it should. But on this: God knows what He’s doing. He has it planned out. He is not abandoning me. He is forming me.

And formation doesn’t feel like comfort. It feels like pressure. It feels like exposure. It feels like confrontation. But pressure doesn’t mean absence. It often means proximity.

Maybe the shift for you isn’t external. Maybe it’s focus.

What are you staring at that’s stealing your faith? What narrative are you rehearsing that’s shrinking your vision?

Because what you focus on will shape what you believe. And what you believe will shape how you move.

I’m not losing my way. I’m recalibrating. And this time, I’m bringing both the harp and the sword.

I love you all!!!
Stay Blessed
MrJMerrill