100. Arise, Wounded Soldier — Aneel Aranha

Hello and welcome to The Hope Podcast. I’m Aneel Aranha. Today, we will talk about how no foothold is so firm that one cannot fall, but then no fall is so bad that one cannot rise. 

All of us have experienced failure, and the impact of the fall is directly proportional to the height we have risen. Very often, those who reach the pinnacle of success believe they are untouchable, even though history should have taught us that no one stands so firmly that he cannot fall. If you are one of these people who has failed and fallen, take note of another lesson that history teaches us: no one has fallen so terribly that he cannot rise again. 

Scripture is filled with stories about fallen heroes. It doesn't gloss over the failures of its superstars (even though we do) and tells it as it happened. So we read about the sinfulness of David and Samson, who gave into their weakness for women; the cowardice of Abraham and Isaac, who passed off their wives as their sisters so that the Egyptians wouldn't kill them; and the animosity between Paul and Barnabas that became so sharp they parted company. We read about how Jeremiah and Job cursed the day they were born, while Elijah and Jonah wished they were dead! 

If you have ever wondered why these stories are in the Bible, it is to give us hope because hope is a powerful thing. The enemy tries to take that away because he knows it can destroy us. A working man will put all his energy into his job, hoping his efforts will be noticed and rewarded. Should he lose his job, his hope of getting a better one will sustain him. Take away that hope, and he will sit at home and despair. Take away his hope in life, and you will have succeeded in destroying him completely. 

However, when we read Scripture and discover that Spirit-filled men have fallen but have risen again, then we have the hope that so can we. As Paul attests: "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

Paul's wish for you is mine, too, my dear friend. However terrible your fall has been — from grace or whatever — know that tomorrow is a new day. And let your hope rise with the sun, knowing that you will soon shine as bright as it does one more time.

This is the 100th episode, and I’d like to end it with something special. Here is a song I wrote titled Arise, Wounded Soldier. I hope it inspires you all.
 
God bless you.  

Arise, wounded soldier
It’s time to fight again
The battle you thought you’d totally lost
Is just about to begin
It’s revolution.

Awake, sleeping Christian
And gird up for the war
The weapons we use aren’t the weapons of the world
They have divine power.
It’s revolution.

Speak, silent preacher,
Start proclaiming the word
The things that God said are coming to pass
So use his mighty sword.
It’s revolution.

We don’t fight with guns and knives
Biowarfare ain’t our thing
We leave them dirty bombs alone
And don’t add to suffering
We just wield a mighty sword
It’s called the Word of God
Wrapped up in this thing called love
That we learned from the Lord of Lords
It’s revolution.