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Billy Graham, Harpooning And Rest

The following two passages by Billy Graham and Eugene Peterson have been resonating through the silence – and sometimes chaos – of my soul over the last few months. I have been meditating on not just the words, but also the shape of Jesus’ ministry while He was on earth. What theologians refer to as the ‘silent years’ seem to me to be almost as important a message to his servants as his words and works are. If the urgency with which so many of Christ’s servants approach their tasks in these days was a value of Christ’s, why did he wait so long to step into public ministry? Why was he not preaching and performing miracles from the moment he was able to speak? Why did He consistently withdraw from public ministry – even when it seemed that his message was beginning to gain momentum? Surely the way in which Jesus performed his earthly service should have some bearing on the way in which we perform ours. If He was willing to wait and withdraw perhaps we should consider doing the same? Listen to Billy Graham reflect on his life below…

“Although I have much to be grateful for as I look back over my life, I also have many regrets. I have failed many times, and I would do many things differently.
For one thing, I would speak less and study more, and I would spend more time with my family. When I look back over the schedule I kept thirty or forty years ago, I am staggered by all the things we did and the engagements we kept. Sometimes we flitted from one part of the country to another, even from one continent to another, in the course of only a few days. Were all those engagements necessary? Was I as discerning as I might have been about which ones to take and which to turn down? I doubt it. Every day I was absent from my family is gone forever. Although much of that travel was necessary, some of it was not.
I would also spend more time in spiritual nurture, seeking to grow closer to God so I could become more like Christ. I would spend more time in prayer, not just for myself but for others. I would spend more time studying the Bible and meditating on is truth, not only for sermon preparation but to apply its message to my life. It is far too easy for someone in my position to read the Bible only with an eye on a future sermon, overlooking the message God has for me through its pages. And I would give more attention to fellowship with other Christians, who could teach me and encourage me (and even rebuke me when necessary).”

– Billy Graham, page 744, Just as I am (the autobiography of Billy Graham).

Coming at it from a different angle, Eugene Peterson draws the metaphor from the literary classic Moby Dick.

‘The poised Harpooner’

In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, there is a turbulent scene in which a whaleboat scuds across a frothing ocean in pursuit of the great, white whale, Moby Dick. The sailors are laboring fiercely, every muscle taut, all attention and energy concentrated on the task. The cosmic conflict between good and evil is joined; chaotic sea and demonic sea monster versus the morally outraged man, Captain Ahab. In this boat, however, there is one man who does nothing. He doesn’t hold an oar; he doesn’t perspire; he doesn’t shout. He is languid in the crash and the cursing. This man is the harpooner, quiet and poised, waiting. And then this sentence: “To insure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the harpooners of this world must start to their feet out of idleness, and not out of toil.”

Melville’s sentence is a text to set alongside the psalmist’s “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10), and alongside Isaiah’s “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Isa. 30:15).

– Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor, page 24.

It goes against everything that our cultural desire for success demands, but a life grounded and settled in meditation, community and Christ seems to be the one that not only pleases our Master, but also leads to effective ministry. Our first view of God in the scriptures is a God creating and then resting. Somehow as ministers of our Lords gospel we need to follow our Master and swim against the the cultural current that demands nonstop ministry and public service. Three years was the span of Jesus’ public ministry. I have been serving many times longer than that, but it hardly seems worth pointing out who’s ministry was more effective

. Help me Lord to nurture my relationship with You, with my family and with the lives of those in my community. Amen.

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brentonbrown@churchleaders.com'
Brenton Brown has written some of the best-loved worship songs in the world today, including “Everlasting God,” “Lord Reign in Me,” “All Who Are Thirsty,” and “Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing).” He currently has five songs in CCLI’s Top 100. Originally from South Africa, Brenton came to the U.K. in 1996 and joined Vineyard Church as a worship leader. He would eventually lead the development of the Vineyard worship movement, which has grown to impact the Church worldwide.  Now based in California with his wife Jude, Brenton has a worldwide ministry in leading worship, songwriting and speaking. Explore Brenton’s music and learn more about him at BrentonBrown.com.