Category: Wildman Journey (Page 2 of 85)

Pastor Alexander Sosler in an article entitled “You can’t hustle your way to holiness” in Christianity Today, used the phrase “rise and grind.”  He is talking about the new generation of influencers, who are targeting younger men, with the thought of getting Christian men out of their heads and into the real world around them.  But pastor Sosler wonders, “But in the life of faith, I also think my drive to be the best can make me the spiritually worst.”

He gives this caution,  “… underneath these modern messages is also a deeper, more distorted desire; There’s always more to do, more to read, more money to make, more experiences to have, more people to beat.  Life is set up for the grind. Perform. Do better. Money is power, so get some. And what young people can’t know yet is that this mindset leaves you exhausted.”

He goes on to rightly suggest, “In Christianity, we call upon a higher standard of grace, which has nothing to do with our effort or striving.  You can’t hack your way to holiness because holiness is slow work.  Formation is less about productivity and more about stillness.  This way of life requires discipline, but it’s a discipline of absence not performance.  The battle cry of formation isn’t necessarily ‘Fight for the Lord’ but ‘the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still'” (Ex. 14:14)……These words don’t excite my Western sensibilities.  I want to be deserving of what I get.”

He goes on to focus on “deserving.”  He quotes Thomas Merton on perseverance.  “Perseverance is not hanging on to some course which we have set our mind to, and refusing to let go……I am coming to think that God …. loves and helps best those who are so beat and have so much nothing when they come to die that it is almost as if they had persevered in nothing but had gradually lost everything, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but God.  Hence perseverance is not hanging on, but letting go.” 

Sosler reminds us of Paul’s words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness: (II Cor. 12:9).  “For Paul,” notes Sosler, “perseverance involved letting go.  Formation was submission. His weakness proved God’s power, which means the scandal of perseverance is this: Even in the emptiness, God loves us.”  

The author ends his article with these words. “So in those moments when you’re at the end of your proverbial rope, God is there, and you are still his beloved.”  He quotes Henri Nouwen, “We are not what we do.  We are not what we have.  We are not what others think of us.  Coming home is claiming the truth, I am the beloved of a loving Creator.”

The quote from Nouwen was instrumental in my formation some years ago, when I was caught up in a “spiritual performance” trap. I still can feel and picture myself as a earnest, sincere pastor wanting to be holy and spiritual effective at the same time.  I was on a treadmill, with little awareness of how to get off.  Thank God, I had a spiritual friend who taught me how to slow down and allow the Lord to do his work in my heart.  

That transition for me happened over thirty years ago.  But even at my age (83), I still get caught in the “performance trap.”   I have my unique “conveyer belt” that I get on, carrying me along in my own energy and strength.  I have had the learn patience the hard way.  God work of transformation is a “slow process.”  

To say  God is a Warrior, is like raising a red banner in the midst of  the cross currents of angry voices wanting to get rid of patriarchy.  A warrior God is viewed with deep suspicion in our day when all the structures of patriarchy are being questions.  For some, warrior gives them confidence that God will be victorious, defeating  evil and establishing a reign of God’s kingdom in the end.  For others, “warrior” is a word to be “flagged,” signaling a hateful, angry presence, who will trampling on the weak and vulnerable.  But the God of scripture is called a Warrior.  The Lord gives us a warning.  Ps. 78:65 tells us,  “Then the Lord awoke as from sleep. as a man wakes from the stupor of wine.” 

In Exodus 15, as the Israelites  were escaping the mighty army of Pharaoh, standing on dry ground, they watched as the entire army drown in the sea behind them.  “They sank to the depths like a stone.” (Ex. 15:5)  In response, Moses, Miriam and the people sang to the Lord.  “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name” (Ex. 15:3).  They declared in song,  “Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretch out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.” (Ex. 15:11-12).

Having experienced Pharaoh’s mighty army being drowned, Miriam, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women joined her, with tambourines.  They danced and sang. “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.  For horse and driver he has hurled into the sea” (Ex. 15:20-21).  They celebrated in joyful worship, singing joyfully, “By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up.  The surging waters stood up like a wall” (Ex. 15:8).  

They were in awe of their mighty God.  “Who among the gods is like you, Lord?  Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory working wonders?” (Ex. 15:11).  They even sang about the love of God.  “You stretch our your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies.  In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed” (Ex. 15:13).   

Just before they entered the sea to escape Pharaoh’s army, Moses had told the people, “Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Ex 14:13-14).  Imagine being told to stand firm and see how God will save you from the mightiest army on earth.  Moses was confident they would see God’s deliverance.  He know without a doubt that their God as a “warrior.”

If anyone doubts God is a warrior, Revelation 19 describes the loving and compassionate Jesus of the Gospels as the heavenly warrior who has defeated the beast (the devil).  “His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.  He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipping in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” (Rev. 19:12). 

At the end of history, Jesus, the Son of God, is pictured as a victorious rider on a white horse.  He is “dressed in a robe dipped in blood…..out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” (Rev 19:13 &15)  But Jesus also called the “lamb.”  The enemies makes war against the lamb.  But we read, “They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord or Lords and King of kings.” (Rev. 17:14)   

Recently Judy and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary with our immediate family.  Almost two years ago, we began signaling our desire to celebrate with our three adult children and their spouses. The grandkids would be a extra blessing.  Four of our eight grandkids joined us.  As the event neared, we both became aware of its importance in our lives.  We also felt “spiritual warfare” in preparing our remarks.

We  wanted to pass on a spiritual legacy.   I can assure you, there was prayerful consideration in our preparation.  Judy gave an intimate portrait of each family.  She shared her insights and memories, with carefully chosen word of affection, admiration and acceptance for each family.  Her careful, crafted words,  expressed with loving affection. were sought afterwards by each family. 

My comments, coming after prayerful thought were not recorded on paper.  I felt an urgency in my remarks, knowing the uniqueness of our gathering.   I began with  Ps. 71:18,  “Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.  Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.”  Being in the fourth quarter, my wife and I used this occasion to speak boldly, with a burden to leave a spiritual legacy.  Reflecting on our long journey, we visualize the end of the journey.  We continue to pray each morning for our family,  while asking the Lord to give us a good death.  

I acknowledged speaking as the patriarch of our family, since I was the oldest male in our gathering.  From the beginning of our family, I have embraced and accepted the biblical role of Patriarch found in God’s Word.  God began His plan to rescue humanity through Abraham.  “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:3).  Then we read in Matthew 1:1, of Jesus being, a “descendant of King David and of Abraham.”  Since I’ve  been adopted into God’s family, as a male, married with three adult children, I  accepted the role of Patriarch.

To declare on our 60 wedding celebration, the role of a Patriarch, was to be vulnerable and spiritually exposed before my family.  Why? First, the role of  Patriarch is highly suspect in today’s culture.  But, by the grace of God I have sought to be a honorable Patriarch.  Secondly, the matter of “living out the role” of Patriarch caused foreboding in my heart. I acknowledged my unworthiness and dependency on God’s mercy. Regardless, I have sought to be intentional  in my role as Patriarch.  My wife accepts her role of my help mate.  I say she is a “long-suffering women,” who has put up with me as her head for all these years.  Thirdly, to be a Patriarch is to  live counter-culturally.  The word has a negative connotation today.  I am the least likely man to embrace the role.  But I have chosen to “lean” into this biblical role.   

The heart of my exhortation was expressed as follows:  1) the rightly ordering of spiritual reality, knowing the light overcomes the impending darkness,  2) to speak a word of overcoming into the spiritual realm of darkness, waging war against the light, and 3) to pray a blessing on each family, asking for God’s grace and protection for the days to come.

I expressed gratitude and thanks for how the Lord has formed my family, first my wonderful wife and then our extended family.  It is God’s gift to me. I expressed  that the time is short.  Greater darkness is coming.  But we can choose to walk in the light of Jesus.  The battle will rage mightily between light and darkness. But Jesus has overcome the darkness.   

Seth Troutt, a young pastor in Arizona, articulates masculine issues in an insightful manner.  In a recent article entitled, “A dearth of vital virtues,” he contends that our society has a masculinity shortage.  In our culture, the description of masculinity as “toxic” is a binary word, being an either-or reality; either a man is too toxic, or he isn’t.  But male toxicity can be viewed as not having enough male energy. The question then becomes when does masculinity become toxic?  “The world suffers,” observes Troutt, “not from too much, but from too little, healthy masculine presence.”  

“Masculinity has to do with male energy and male presence” notes Troutt, “what a man feels like relationally and what his contribution is to the world.”  In understanding masculinity there are two basic assumptions.  “One perspective envisions masculinity as inherently toxic in the binary sense.”  In this view male leadership, aggression and ambition are basically toxic, seeing masculinity energy as domination and controlling.  Masculinity is like a cancer. It needs to be eliminated.  The second perspective is more nuanced, seeing  the amount of toxic masculinity as expressed  harmful. “Too much of anything can prove to be ‘toxic.'”  

Influencers like Andrew Tate can be seen as having too much masculinity.  “The antidote …would be to tone it down, to embrace a more balanced or androgynous energy.”  But Troutt believes there is a lack of God given masculinity.  “Our culture is suffering not from too much of a possible dangerous thing.  Instead, we’re suffering from too little of a necessary thing. We don’t have a toxic masculinity problem.  We have an anemic masculinity problem,” not enough godly masculinity.

What is anemic masculinity?  “Like a body with chronically low amounts of iron can develop anemia, a culture or a person with chronically low nutrients develops an anemic masculine.  What are the aspects of masculinity that are most lacking?” In Troutt’s view the discussion regarding toxic masculinity gets things mostly wrong.  For example, Troutt points out, “A chauvinist isn’t too masculine.  He’s not masculine enough. He sticks out for what he lacks: chivalry and humility.” Troutt points out four characteristics of godly masculinity.

First, “a godly masculinity will always present as humility.”  Instead surrendering in the face of the voices of “toxic” criticism. men should be bold and stand in their God given masculinity.  Male energy is expressed in servanthood. Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matt 23:11). 

Secondly, “a proper masculinity will see his desires as fundamentally good, but nonetheless disordered.” As an example, the desire for sex is normal, but lust is too much.  A godly expression of masculinity is deeply aware of sexuality, but has surrendered the passions to be rightly ordered by God.

Thirdly, “the true vision for masculinity is of a man who can take care of himself.”  He is focused on giving himself first to others.  He sees himself as a servant of others.  He does not project been a victim.

Fourthly, “an authentic masculinity will recognize the reality of male power and use it to honor and uplift.”  Men are encouragers.

As an elderly male, who has been concerned with issues of masculinity for over 30 years, I admire this young man for his courage.  I agree with his challenge at the end of his article.  “The absence of masculine strength-in-action means that bad players thrive while the weak and timid suffer.  We are to beat back wolves, not coddle them and delve into their back stories.  We are to warn divisive and unruly people while driving out the leaven that threatens the whole lump.  Shirking of responsibility is wildly non-masculine.”

I have been enduring some storm tossed days in my soul life  It has been dark and cloudy.  I struggle with conflicting thoughts about who I am and what I am doing with my life.  I want to be a light for Jesus in my present surroundings, but I am haunted with doubts about my own faithfulness.   

I have learned to accept inner storms as a normal part of my spiritual journey.  Years ago, I was reluctant to acknowledge the  frequent storm occurring in my inner life, since I felt I had matured enough to be able to have clear sailing.  But I have learned as I journey along, storm will appear unexpected.  The storms, allowed by the Lord are a natural part of my spiritual growth.  I only learn by going through the storm, not by pretending it isn’t there.

I share my struggle because I got some encouragement from a recent blog by Ron Rolheiser. It helped give expression to my experience of the “dark night.” “Jesus,” notes Rolheiser, had a cosmic image for this experience.  “The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give forth its light, stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken”  (Matt. 25:29). When Jesus refers to these words from Isaiah, he is not describing only  cosmic cataclysms, but also a cataclysms of the heart.  “Sometimes our inner world is shaken, turned upside down; it gets dark in the middle of the day, there’s an earthquake in  the heart; we experience the end of the world as we’ve known it.” 

I say “amen.”  Rolheiser goes on the talk about “a dark night of the soul,” an experience of the soul life that I have have spent almost forty years of trying to understand.  Discussing St. John of the Cross, he writes, “God takes away the pleasure and consolation and we experience a certain dark night in that where we once felt fire, passion, consolation, and security, we will now feel dryness, boredom, disillusion, and insecurity.  For John of the Cross, all honeymoons eventually end.”

Why does the honeymoon need to end?  Rolheiser suggests, “on a honeymoon, too often we are more in love with being  in love and all the wonderful energy this creates than we are in love with the person behind all those feelings. The same is  true for faith and prayer.  When we first begin to pray seriously, we are often more in love with the experience of praying  and what it’s doing for us than we are in love with God.”  Therese of Lisieux used to warn: “Be careful not to seek yourself in love, you’ll end up with a broken heart that way.”

Years ago, I finally came to the realization that the honeymoon stage of my journey was over.  I was like a child who always expected candy from his father.  My heavenly Father was weaning me of the “sweet” experiences of prayer with its “sugar highs.”   I did not like giving up the familiar, while my heavenly Father was expecting me to live more like a maturing adult.  The honeymoon was over. I was being led down a path meant for a more mature adult man.   

Briefly, this is what I have learned thus far.  1) Realizing darkness, dryness and not knowing is normal.   2) God allows changes in the life of the soul for our growth.  Our old self will resist.  3) God looks at the intention of our heart.  Do we truly want to love Jesus more.  4) He will continue pursues us in love.  5) God will never give up on us.  6) Ultimately we surrender to his love as we mature.

Ralph Martin is president of Renewal Ministries, a movement among conservative Catholics.  I have followed Ralph since the early days of the Charismatic Movement in the early 70’s.  I call Ralph a “prophetic straight shooter.”  He is a catholic theologian, who is a faithful orthodox author.  He dares to say things that many evangelical authors would not dare say and with conviction.  He wrote an article recently entitled “The Four Last Things.”  I want to summarize his article because of its blunt clarity.

He begins by quoting Pope John Paul II.  “The Church cannot omit, without serious mutilation of her essential message, a constant catechesis of man’s Four Last Things: death, judgment, hell and heaven.  Knowing what comes after this earthly life can guide us in it.  Beyond the mysterious gates of death and eternity, we will arrive at either joy and communion with God or separation from Him.  Only by understanding these Last Things can one realize the nature of sin and move toward penance and reconciliation.”

First, Death – Why do we die?  Death is the result of the fall in the Garden.  The fruit was forbidden because it was harmful; it meant death.  The lie told in the garden is being offered today. “You shall be like God.  Create yourself, choose your own identity, declare your independence from Him.”  But the gospel  invites people to be saved, forgiven and transformed.  This implies believing in the Word of God and turning from sin.  Martin declares, “Jesus is the antidote to death.  He paid a price for our sins. He perfectly obeyed and loved the Father as we never could.  By dying and rising again, He established freedom, immortality, and eternal life.  And he gives it freely to whoever wants it.

Second, Judgment.    Hebrews 9:27 declares, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”  Jesus will return in the fullness of his glory to judge the living and the dead.   Martin boldly points out, “We scarcely hear about God’s severity, holiness, justice, and judgment.  There should be a constant catechesis on these things.  Christianity isn’t a game; everyone doesn’t get a trophy.  Being a disciple is hard.”

Third, Hell.  Those who won’t be welcomed into God’s kingdom face “the second death.”  This is eternal separation from God. We are given what we’ve chosen, awful isolation, rebellion, anger, hatred, lust and greed.   Martin says “This is not a game, this is life and death.  The Son of God wants to save us, but we need to pay attention to what He is saying.”  Then, even more bluntly, “Do whatever you need to do to get free of serious sin, because it will kill you.  Serious sin will send you to hell unless you repent.”

Fourth , Heaven.  Those who have their names written in the book of life, will hear, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them. and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:2-4).  Relationships in heaven will far surpass our earthly relationships.  In heaven, there is perfect love and union 

I was struck by the candid manner of Martin, who I respect greatly.  It makes me ponder how candid my witness has been.  Reality for all who live here below, involve these last four things.  For me, I have been reluctant  to speak of hell.  Yet hell is a reality for all who have not been  saved by Jesus.    

Luke Simon had an interesting article about masculinity in Mere Orthodoxy.  He ponders the question, asked by Barb Weiss, “How do we bring back heroic masculinity without bringing back toxic masculinity?” Weiss was in discussion with Louise Perry, author of “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution,” in which Perry suggests, “the sexual revolution has largely benefited men while leaving women more vulnerable and unhappy.  She acknowledged that a return to a Christian sexual ethic offers women greater protection and security. “

But there is no need to reinvent masculinity.  “What we need”, suggests Simon, “is a return to cruciform masculinity – a strength that serves, a power that protects, and a leadership that sacrifices.” Today, our culture seems to offer two extreme versions of masculinities.  On one hand, a masculinity that is toxic, which needs to be softened or even erased.  On the other hand, a masculinity that is brutal, aggressive, and dominant, in which masculinity is weaponized.  Each extreme can leave men confused.    

Jesus’ example offers men a different vision.  Simon gives this description of Jesus: “He was neither passive nor oppressive.   He was fierce yet gentle, authoritative yet humble.  He protected the weak, challenged corruption and served the outcast.  His strength was not wielded for his own gain but for the good of others.  And he ultimately laid down his life – not out of weakness, but out of the greatest strength of all: the strength to love sacrificially.”  

A desire for “heroic” masculinity can be seen as a longing for cruciform masculinity, “because true heroism has always been about sacrifice, and there is no greater sacrifice than the cross.”  If women in our culture are looking for a heroic masculinity, there is no need to look to self-proclaimed alpha males.  We need men who are shaped by Christ.  “Their strength is not for power, but for service.  Not for control, but for love.  Not for status, but for sacrifice.”  

So, the question of how to bring back heroic masculinity without bringing back toxic masculinity is for men being formed in the image of Christ.  Simon wonder, “maybe the problem isn’t that we have too much masculinity.  Maybe we don’t have enough of the right kind.  We need more men shaped by the sacrificial love of Christ, more men who know their power is for protecting, not exploiting.  More men called to a greater story than their own success.”  

Then as a younger male, Simon makes this statement that is a challenge to me as an “old guy.”  “Maybe that’s why Gen. Z men like me are staying in church.  In a culture that is confused about our purpose, the church tells us, we are responsible, needed, and called to something higher.  We are looking for purpose, direction and identity – and we are finding it in the example of Jesus.”  

As an “old guy” who has been blogging on “the wildman journey,” I sense a move of God among young men, who are seeking a “safe place” where they can “rub shoulders” with older seasoned men who have walked with the Lord through the “thick and thin” of modern life, and still have a confident, humble, winsome walk with the Lord.  I sense that the author of this article, Luke Simon is such an individual.  

Peter seemed to be addressing such a “safe place” among men when he said, “You who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another.” ( I Peter 5:5). Peter is speaking to a right order of mutual sharing among men expressed in humility.  Gen. Z hungers for such a space among men.

I have become, at my age, more unsteady on my feet.  My balance is off and I don’t walk as confidently as a senior man.  It is hard to admit.  It seemed therefore, appropriate for me to write a blog about spiritually stumbling.  Hebrews 12:12-3 give us this exhortation.  “So stop letting your hands go slack and get some energy into your sagging knees!  Make straight paths for your feet.  If you’re lame, make sure you get healed instead of being put out of joint” (Wright).   Wow, I sure get this message.

I take this both physically and spiritually.  I need to do the best with what I have physically.  “Al, keep at it; don’t give in the aging process.”  But these verses also can be seen as a spiritual exhortation for all ages.  Don’t get out of shape spiritually.  Cry out for spiritual energy; don’t begin to coast spiritually; Keep your focus on the straight path before you; If your wounded spiritually, allow the Lord to heal your soul.

The Psalmist expressed his gratitude for being able to stay on the path.  “My steps have held to your path; my feet have not slipped” (Ps 17:5). He also was thankful for the help he received on his journey.  “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; through he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand” (Ps. 37:23-24)

What I find especially encouraging is being able to walk in the presence of the Lord.  “He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.  And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth” (Ps 116:8-9 NLT).  He helps me to walk in the light. “For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping.  So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light” (Ps 56:13 NLT). 

The prophets continually warn us of stumbling in the dark.  “So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living.  We look for light but find only darkness.  We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.  We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes.  Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark.  Among the living, we are like the dead” (Is. 59:10 NLT). 

Long ago, the prophet Isaiah warned us to be careful not to pay attention to “misinformation.”  In his prophetic message, he called it “conspiracy.”  “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s armies holy in your life.   He is the one you should fear.  He is the one who should make you tremble” (Is 8:12-13 NLT).  Otherwise, Isaiah warns about stumbling.  “He will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall.  And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.  Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again.  They will be snared and captured” (Is. 8:14-15 NLT).   

My testimony –  I want to finish strong.  I don’t want to bend the knee, becoming lazy spiritually.  Lord, help me to fight the Good Fight to the end.  By your grace and mercy, give me the will, the strength and the  determination to walk  in the Light of the Lord’s Presence the rest of my days.  Above all, allow me to be a man of truth, who not only exposes  “misinformation” but also  has the courage and insight to represent the truth in word and deed. 

Anthony Bradley writes how pop music “cries out” regarding fatherlessness in our culture.  “For decades, popular music has served as a powerful medium for artists to grapple with personal trauma, none more resonant than the wounds inflicted by bad fathers.  From abandonment to emotional neglect, musicians have transformed their pain into melody, offering listeners both catharsis and a window into the lifelong consequences of paternal failure.  In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, a wave of songs emerged that directly confronted the heartbreak of absentee or neglectful fathers, spanning genres and generations in a cultural reckoning with broken families.” 

Bradley, who obviously knows the lyrics,  gives this warning, “The voices of these artists…… are cultural testimonies to the devastating impact of fatherlessness…..The depth of rage, sorrow and longing found in these lyrics makes one thing abundantly clear: the failure of fathers is not just a personal failing, but a social epidemic with generational consequences…..The pain of these artists is not theoretical…….The sociological research confirms what the music has been screaming for decades: children need their fathers…..These songs, then, are more than expressions of personal grief.  They are warnings….a father’s absence is never forgotten.  It lingers in the lyrics, in the broken relationships, in the struggles for self-worth, in the desperate search for love in all the wrong places.”   

And as Bradley reminds us if nothing changes, “these same songs will continue to be written, decade after decade, generation after generation, an eternal echo of a crisis we refuse to confront.”   

Bradley comments on the lyrics of various pop artists.  He mentions Eric Clapton’s “My Father’s Eyes” (1998) as a haunting lament about longing for a father he never met, filled with deep sorrow.  Kelly Clarkson in “Because of You” (2004) speaks to the deep scars of abandonment.  Everclear’s “Father of Mine” (1997) rages against a father’s absence.  The song express the brutal realities of growing up without a father.  

Hip-hop has been an unflinching genres when it comes to fatherlessness. 2Pac’s “Papa’z Song” (1993) expresses longing, rage, and self-reliance at a father’s absence.  Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel’s lyrics are like a verbal assault, demanding answers for years of neglect.  Earl Sweatshirt’s “Day” (2015) suggests that some wounds will never heal.   Kendrick Lamar laments the impact of a father’s presence as a generational and cultural wound.  In “U” (2015) Lamar shares to deep self-hatred resulting from family struggles and abandonment.  In J. Coles unreleased “Dear Father” (2011) is a song about abandonment and the internal war that rages in a son left to wonder why he wasn’t enough for his father to stay.   

Many of these artists have spent their lives struggling with the question:”Why wasn’t I worth staying for?” And even more hauntingly: “Am I doomed to repeat the sins of my father?”  “Every absent father, every abusive father, every neglected father leaves a wound and those wounds do not simply fade.  They fester, they metastasize, they are passed down.  Fatherlessness is not just a private heartbreak – it is a crisis that shapes our families, our communities, and our nation. It lingers in the lyrics, in the broken relationships, in the struggles  for self-worth, in the desperate search for love in all the wrong places.” 

This article spoke deeply to my heart as a father.  I raised three children and am grandfather to eight grandchildren.  Bradley’s remarks made me reflect my fathering and the wounds I have left.  I am thankful early in my marriage for knowing God’s order for the family  I was committed to doing my best as a Dad.  For the ways I was not a good father, I have asked my children for forgiveness.     

I ‘ve read Ch.9 of Isaiah often,  especially during the Advent season.  Recently I was struck with the sheer force of verses 4-5, when I consider the yoke and emotional burden our nation is under.   “For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.  You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.  The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will be burned.  They will be fuel for the fire” (Is. 9:4-5 NLT). This would be an unbelievable occurrence for people, “walking in darkness……living in the land of the shadow of death (Is. 9:2). 

At the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, the Assyrians had invaded Zebulun and Naphtali, the two northern tribes of Israel. The invasion brought darkness and despair, but the Isaiah was giving the people reason for hope.  “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress” (Is. 9:1).  These words are given in the “prophetic perfect.” “Though the events were in the future, they were described as if they had already happened” (CSB Study Bible). Matthew quotes this passage in Matt. 4:15-16,  referring to the ministry of Jesus, who as the light of the world has come to  removing the darkness and lifting the despair 

When a nation feels like they are living in the shadow of death, it give the impression of little hope of a brighter future. “The oppressed nation is compared to an ox weighed down by a heavy yoke and an animal that is prodded and beaten.” (NET)  I have been pondering the yoke as a symbol of our nation’s despair and anxiety. In scripture the yoke is the image of subjection.  We read in Deut. 28:47-8, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you.  He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you” (Deut 28:46- 47).  The burden of carrying a yoke, can be the consequence of a nation having turned their backs on the Lord.

But God in His mercy will also release a nation from the yoke that they carry.  “They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them” (Ezk. 34:27).  Isaiah prophesied Israel being freed from the Assyrian yoke. “I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountain I will trample him down.  His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders” (Is 14:25). 

Isaiah points to David’s victory at Midan, when he was victorious with only 300 men.  It was unbelievable victory against a great army.  Isaiah promises a similar future victory for the people of God.  It will be a decisive battle, even though it will be bloody.  “The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned.  They will be fuel for the fire” (Is. 9:5).  “The burning of the boots and the bloody clothes of the enemy soldiers….signify a victory in holy war where spoils were dedicated to God and military equipment was se on fire” (CSB Study Bible).

As a nation we are under a cloud of darkness, causing much despair.  There may be some hope and relief as light beginning to shine.  But ultimately, the burden and the rod of despair can only be lifted by the Lord. Only he can “break the oppressor’s rod.” Is. 9:5 reminds us that it will be messy before it gets better.