Devotion / The Greatest Wall
The World of Walls is an interesting take on medieval history. It posits that each successive European culture built walls to protect its thoughts and traditions. Actually, whether in the West, the Middle East, or the East, walls have always existed to defend and protect.
China's Amazing Wall
The Great Wall of China goes back thousands of years. Spanning 13,170 miles, it dwarves its closest rival--the Great Wall of India—less than 24 miles. Built to deter marauding enemies and limit access to China, stories abound of its successes and failures in keeping the country safe. Today, China's Great Wall seems more a tourist attraction than anything else. It is an amazing engineering feat.
Walls in Scripture
The Bible speaks about walls a surprising number of times . . . over 250. Examples include...
health safety guidelines on cleaning walls in Deuteronomy.
the walls of water as the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea.
reports of walls as high as the skies when the scouting party returned from Canaan.
the crumbling of Jericho's walls.
measurements of the walls of God's Tabernacle and later temple.
Daniel's interpretation of the writing on the wall.
Jerusalem's walls breached and later rebuilt under Nehemiah's leadership.
Revelation’s imagery of the beauty of the heavenly city with walls of precious gems.
God's Walls
Isaiah 26:1 talks of a joyful song being sung in the land of his people: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Isaiah 60:18 echoes that idea: No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
Of course, these strong walls stand impenetrable only through the powerful working of Jesus, the Almighty Lord. Ephesians 2:14 tells how our Savior has united us all by making himself our peace by destroying the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility that had existed between us our the holy God.
Man-made walls can be impressive. They can seem to offer protection and defense in times of trouble. But perfect protection is found in that Mighty Fortress who is our God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, let the light of your powerful Word penetrate and destroy all walls of spiritual darkness and bring life and hope to souls around the world.
By Dave Payne
Dark Spiritual Walls: Today, China’s functional Great Wall is cultural, political, and digital. It keeps China’s people from hearing God's Word about Jesus, his love, and his forgiveness. Let us pray or and work toward those walls crashing down.