I am a reader. I read books for improvement and entertainment, for relaxation. Currently I am reading the “Pendragon Cycle” by Stephen R. Lawhead, a series of 4 books based on the legend of King Arthur. Now, in case I’m about to lose you, hang in there. This is actually a very well done story and the author has several excellent spiritual truths woven into the story line. Let me tell you about one which I find fascinating, and instructive.

For generations the Britons had been fighting the invading barbarians and there was no peace. The Romans had come to Britain and now were gone, leaving the Brits to fend for themselves. It was an age of Darkness. Local kings had to raise warbands to defend their holdings and their people. They would set a High King over them who would join all the forces of the combined kings, the better to defend the country. They were a nation used to war and bloodshed, to mighty men of war.

In the 3rd book of the series, “Arthur”, a battle is about to take place between hordes of barbarians holed up in an abandoned Roman fort, led by a traitorous British lord, and the warbands of Britain led by Arthur. His forces are woefully outnumbered by thousands. Nonetheless they storm the high sitting fort, its steep slopes strewn with thousands of stones, a deadly way to have to do battle. The barbarians run down upon them, sheer numbers pushing the Britons back and allowing no advancement in the fight. Thousands are slaughtered but the Britons cannot take the wall of the fort. After the first day of battle Arthur’s men retreat to their camp to rest. Things are not going well, not at all.

The second day is the same. At noon they retreat to take a breather and the lords under Arthur meet with him to discuss strategy. Some want to lay siege to the fort and wait for more men. Arthur, as their leader and knowing better, is against it. Merlin approaches (in this retelling he is a former druid bard who is now a Christian, the Soul of Britain, their spiritual leader) and quietly says, “The hill is cursed. There is distress and calamity here. The slopes are treacherous with torment, and disaster reigns over all.” He goes on to recount the tragic history of treachery and betrayal and the battles fought there, and the spirit of evil which has been awakened by the treachery of the current traitorous lord leading the barbarians against his own countrymen.

The quieted lords, hanging on his words, ask what they are to do. Merlin answers, “This battle will not be won by stealth or might. It will not be won by bloodshed alone. The spirit abiding here will not be overthrown except by the power of God.”

The lords are thrown into a dither. They are used to fighting for their right, using force of physical strength to win their battles. The sword and bloodshed is what they are trained in. But trusting God? “What are we to do about that?” they cried.

“We must pray, Lords of Britain. We must erect a fortress of our own whose walls cannot be battered down or broken. A caer (fort) that cannot be conquered. A stronghold of prayer.”

Arthur heartily agrees to do this very thing. The next day before dawn, Merlin is seen climbing the hill of the fort and starts gathering rocks. Arthur goes to bring him back, but ends up joining him in stacking stones. Other lords go up to stop what is going on and end up doing the same thing, and the warriors start flowing out to join them. A wall starts to take shape. When asked what they are doing, Arthur responds by lifting a stone over his head and calling to the men, “What do you see?”. They call back “A stone!”. “No!”, Arthur shouts, “I tell you it is not a stone. It is something stronger than stone, and more enduring: it is a prayer!” He called them to look at all the stones on the steep hillside and see them as prayers. He was gathering the “prayers” to build a wall, a “stronghold to surround the enemy”.

This “picture” of prayer as a stronghold was given physical form as they built the wall which surrounded the whole hilltop fort. Within those walls they fought the enemy. They were trapped within the shoulder high wall as much as the enemy they fought.

Yes, this is a make believe story, one which likely never actually happened. But the author has penned a powerful truth and painted for us a fascinating picture of life as a follower of Jesus Christ. Can you see it?

An enemy has taken what is not his. He is more powerful than we are. We cannot defeat him by our efforts, though we lay down our lives to the last man. As hard as we work, as much as we give, it will not win the battle. We will wear out and finally give out if something doesn’t change.

In the story, Arthur understood that, Merlin voiced it and gave critical insight and pointed wisely to the only solution: trust in the power of God, not the arm of flesh.

Now, you and I know we need to trust God in what we attempt in this life. If we are followers of Jesus Christ we have been called into the fight, made up of many battles, to advance the Kingdom of God, the rule of God on earth in the lives of people. No, no one will be forced against their will to enter the Kingdom of God. But we have an enemy which is adept at deceit, schooled and powerful in lies and deception. This enemy has deluded and blinded humankind. We followers of Jesus are carriers of the Light and as such we have the responsibility to let that Light of truth shine forth so that all may see, and seeing, have the opportunity to leave the darkness and enter the Light.

Prayer to God and reliance on Him must be our first line of defense and attack. Then we can sit back…. What? You say, no, we do not just sit back and watch God do His thing? We must act? Oh, yes, yes, of course. Of course! Our prayers are meaningless if we are not laying ourselves on the line to act, to do the right things to accomplish God’s goals.

On the one hand, we cannot win without faith in God. On the other hand, neither will we win a single battle unless we act, in faith and reliance on and obedience to the living God! These are not mutually exclusive realities. They go hand in hand, hand in glove, heart in chest, however you wish to say it. Faith without works is dead! Works without faith are ineffective!

We must build that wall of prayer, that “stronghold” of prayer surrounding the enemy. Then our “sword swinging” will be effective. We will gain the high fort walls and defeat the enemy. And that’s no Arthurian fantasy.

I don’t know about where you live (just kidding), but where I live there is much spiritual darkness, “there is distress and calamity here. The slopes are treacherous with torment, and disaster reigns over all.” The evil spirits in areas here are awake and busy at work. Do you see it where you live? It is there, make no mistake.

We at Mustard Seeds and Mountains are busy building that wall, that stronghold of prayer against the enemy which occupies the high ground. We cannot do this alone. Many of our friends, our partners in ministry, have joined us over the years in lifting those heavy “stones” of prayer to assist in building that wall around the enemy.

We at Mustard Seeds and Mountains are also busy “wielding the sword” of battle against the enemy forces, though we are far outnumbered, and fenced in by that very wall of prayer we have built. Our work with YEP, the Young Entrepreneurs Project-- mentoring/discipling youth as we teach them business skills; children’s after school tutoring, Bible clubs, girl’s group, guitar lessons, one on one mentoring; home repair for the needy, elderly and disabled-- building relationships and sharing the good news of Jesus while repairing homes; teaching and encouraging volunteer teams which come to share their lives, putting feet and hands to the good news; our faithful donors sending checks to fund the work; these are the “swords” wielded in battle! These are the physical exertions necessary to carry out the commands of Jesus Christ to carry the gospel to our world.

Just the other day Randy called me in to his office to view a video just posted by a church group which had been here for a week doing home repair and Bible clubs (if you are a facebook member go to facebook, groups, search "Soncoast Community Mustard Seeds Missions Trip: West Virginia 2009" Nexthttp://www.facebook.com/s.php?k=200000010&n=-1&init=s%3Agroup&q=soncoast#/video/video.php?v=1197275016291&oid=97188144460). As I watched it I got choked up and started to cry. I was seeing the ministry of Mustard Seeds and Mountains through the eyes of the volunteers who are Mustard Seeds for that week... and I thanked God I am a part of it. We are doing a good thing. We are doing the right thing. I am so happy to be part of doing “some thing” for the Kingdom of God!

Let’s all encourage one another to keep on. Keep building that wall of prayer, keep wielding the sword…“to win for the Lamb that was slain the fruit of His suffering”.

Jacque