There’s an interesting story in the Bible in the book of Ezra. Some of the people of God who were in captivity 70 years in Babylon were sent to Jerusalem—which had been utterly destroyed (2 Chron 36)—to begin rebuilding. Keep in mind that many of them were born and raised in exile and never saw Jerusalem in its glory before it was destroyed. But some of the older 75+ knew what Jerusalem was like in its former glory and were overwhelmed with tears.
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. — Ezra 3:10-13
Glory days
There are glimmers of glory emerging in the American Church. Thousands of new churches have been planted in recent years and many are healthy and strong. Movements like The Gospel Coalition are bringing a fresh focus to the Gospel and giving a clear vision on how to live out the teachings of Jesus in everyday life. When I talk with younger pastors they seem charged with excitement about the new things God is doing.
But when you talk to the older saints, especially those who are 60-100, they carry sorrow because what they see today cannot even compare with what they saw in their younger days—tremendous outpourings of the Spirit!
At 53, I feel caught between both of these worlds. I’m young enough to feel excited about the new things God is doing, but I’m old enough to remember the residue of old-school revivals. As a young Christian from 1989 into the 90’s I was part of churches, and a Bible school, filled with older folks who experienced revivals like Azusa Street, the healing crusades of the 1950’s, Billy Graham revivals and the Charismatic renewal and Jesus movement of the 70’s.
Glory tasted
I remember, for example, the prayer meetings at Times Square Church in 1990. About a hundred intercessors gathered every Thursday evening to seek the Lord. There were young and old from a variety of nations. The power of the Holy Spirit moved mightily. The Spirit of prayer was like fire. These saints labored and wrestled with tears for several hours. I’ve personally never seen anything like this since those days.
In the mid 90’s, my pastor in Rhode Island, Pasco Manzo, joined together with several other pastors to begin regular prayer meetings. This was a time when God had brought many great leaders to Florida like Stephen Hill, Bob Phillips, Jacquie Strothoff, David Ravenhill, and many others, to help a pastor named John Kilpatrick manage the wild and messy Pentecostal Brownsville revival that drew an estimated 4 million people from around the world. In Providence, the local pastors inspired by the revival in Florida—across many denominations—were gathering monthly on the 17th floor of the Biltmore Hotel downtown. I remember those days. The glory of God was tangible. As soon as you walked in the room you could feel the strong presence of the Lord. No one really led the meetings. Pastors and intercessors were just scattered randomly around the room weeping and crying out for a move of God.
I’ve been part of prayer meetings with pastors in recent years. I have even led one for many years in Providence. I’ve also been part of a prayer gathering that includes pastors from all over greater Rhode Island. They are good prayer meetings. Genuine. But it’s hard not to be sad that the glory of earlier days has diminished.
Scott’s a pessimist
I suppose some of my pastor friends think I’m one of those who “see the cup as half empty.” That I’m just being negative and not focusing on the good things God is doing. But I can’t forget the glory I’ve experienced.
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. — Ecclesiastes 1:18
Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. You are like the old folks in the days of Ezra that witnessed the former glory. You remember when the Spirit of God fell upon a congregation and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. You remember when hardened sinners were struck down by the power of God and smitten with conviction, weeping profusely over their sins. You remember when a simple gospel message would cut to the heart and people would stream to the altars for mercy. You remember the days when Christians couldn’t get enough of church. In the early 90’s my wife and I attended church in NYC Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, and all day Sunday. The services were 2-3 hours long. It was normal.
Grief
I’m sure there are still pockets where God is moving in similar ways but, by and large, the glory has diminished. It’s hard for us “older folk” not to mourn what has been lost and we cannot help but to feel a certain “divine discontent.”
This kind of grief is seen frequently in the characters in the Bible. Ezra plucked his beard out in grief. Nehemiah wept over the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah said, "My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite (Lam 3:49). Jesus wept over those who rejected His coming. Paul was in constant sorrow over his brothers who were lost (Rom 9). David said, “Streams of tears flow from my eyes because men do not obey your Word” (Psalm 119).
The secret
The secret to balancing grief with joy is to set our minds on eternal things. It’s easy to let ourselves get swallowed up in the present state of things but we have to remember what God has done and look to the future we are headed toward. Paul said—
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. — 2 Corinthians 4:17
Yes, there are sorrows—but!—the Lord is making all things new. The hand of the Lord is upon us—and He will never leave us! Though we live in a world of turmoil we have peace with God. It is well with our soul even though “sorrows like sea billows roll.” Something is being built—a future new city! The present moment may not be easy but it has meaning. We are no longer enemies of God but friends, we are no longer without hope but are now filled with hope. We are no longer dead in sin but alive in Christ. We once were not a people, but now we are the people of God. We can rejoice that no matter what lies ahead, the Lord our God has gone before us; His grace will be with us at all times.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. — 2 Corinthians 9:8
And there’s more!
We can rejoice that our names are written in the book of life and the new world described in Revelation 21-22 is our future home. The day will come—just like February 4th, 2021 has come—that there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death. No more confusion. No more anxiety, no more sickness. No more sin and no more temptation. No more bad days or bad moods. No more IBS or PTSD or ADHD or OCD. No more poverty or hunger, or shortage of clean water. No more pollution and earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes. No more dog bites and bear attacks. No more mosquitoes glory to God!—at least, none that will bite. No more fear of bugs, fear of flying, fear of death, fear of heights, fear of rejection—no more fear of anything! No more seeing through a darkened glass—we shall see his face! No more backsliding, no more shame and guilt. No more boredom, loneliness and depression. No more worrying about something bad happening, or worrying about how we will die. No more wars and no more disharmony. No more harassment from evil forces of darkness, and no more condemnation. All of these sorrows and 10,000 more will be rolled up and put to rest forever! We will dwell in the presence of our Lord for eternity.
I’m thankful that though we carry sorrows the Lord gives us daily reminders that a better world is coming—the singing of a bird, the sweetness of a clementine, the kindness of a friend, the delight of a song, the laughter of children, the excellencies in art, the beauty of architecture, the glory of a landscape. These all hint at a future glory. May we balance grief with a perspective of joy along with the saints of the ages who were “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10).