Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of
my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I
fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. –
Micah 7.7-8
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we
are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but
not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. – 2 Corinthians 4.8-10
These are two nearly passages if scripture. One is Old
Testament – one is New. One is a prophet is a land full of sin. One is a
preacher discouraged by his ministry. Both are in despair and at the end of
their ropes.
It is a place we all find ourselves at times. Sometimes
life is the pits and we get knocked down by the blows of the enemy and our feet
have ‘well nigh slipped.’
This passage plays a role in the battle in Pilgrim’s
Progress between Christian and Apollyon.
‘Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to
gather up close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful fall;
and with that Christian’s sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, I am
sure of thee now: and with that he had almost pressed him to death, so that Christian
began to despair of life. But, as God would have it, while Apollyon was
fetching his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian
nimbly reached out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying, Rejoice not
against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise, Mic. 7:8; and with that
gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received
his mortal wound. Christian perceiving that, made at him again, saying, Nay, in
all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us. Rom.
8:37. And with that Apollyon spread forth his dragon wings, and sped him away,
that Christian saw him no more. James 4:7’
Christian was knocked down, ready to give up. Instead
he used his last ounce of strength to reach out for his sword, the word of God,
and with it fended off Apollyon.
Being knocked down doesn’t mean we have to quit. It
means get up and get back in the fight. We are all going to fall, but falling
is ‘full of grace’ to get back up and go again.
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