The next work day, there was serious counseling to be done. David would be meeting with Darlene Smith for session three. From the moment she entered his office that Tuesday morning he knew that things had gotten worse. He recognized the spirit of depression by the way she carried herself. Her mood was cooperative but nonchalant. He wanted so much to chase that spirit of depression away, by sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ. But even though this was a Christian counseling organization, there were limitations placed on spirituality. They also had to clinically treat their patients according to state regulations.
“Are you going to share the results of my test from the last session?” Darlene asked.
“Yes, I am,” David said, still closely observing her behavior. “Are you anxious to know my findings?” he asked.
“Well, I just, well, for lack of a better term, want to find a quick fix for my situation,” she said.
“That’s interesting,” David said. “I don’t think the situation happened overnight.”
“Of course not!” she said defensively.
“Yet, you would like an overnight fix,” he continued. She was silent and stared out the window.
David retrieved some papers from his bottom right drawer. “First of all,” he said, “you’re a loyal wife and a concerned parent. You are a very analytical person,” he continued. “Things either work for you or they don’t. You like things orderly. You don’t stagger in the middle of the road. You like direct answers. You wish people would treat you the way you treat them. You’re very proud of your Christian upbringing and the direction you have chosen as a career. You expect two plus two to equal four. You expect hydrogen plus oxygen to produce water and you expect the person you give your love to, to give you back that same love. Am I right so far?” he asked. Darlene nodded her head.
“Yet when conditions are favorable for one result, but they produce something else, you feel your world is falling apart, because that’s not the way you were raised. That’s not the way you studied it and that’s just not fair. You see, Darlene, in a perfect world all things would work correctly and all people would act right. But we live in an imperfect world. Your mind has had some difficulty processing data that doesn’t make sense and the reaction has shown through your body’s health. Sometimes it’s weight loss and sometimes it’s weight gain. We can’t really fool ourselves into thinking that everything is alright for very long. Our senses are stronger than our bodies. Our intellect is difficult to override. You need to tell yourself the truth no matter how painful it may be. Now that I’ve given you my official report for the record, may I give you the unofficial report?”
“I don’t understand,” she said, looking puzzled.
“Darlene, your problem is more spiritual than it is natural. Let me explain,” he said standing up and walking to the front of his desk to be closer to her. “Do you believe that God wants your marriage to succeed? Think carefully before you answer.”
Her eyes widened and she shifted in her seat as she tried to ponder his question. After a few seconds of silence, she sat up very directly and looked him in the eyes.
“Absolutely,” she said.
“Do you believe,” asked David, “that there is an enemy who very strongly desires your marriage to fail?”
“I never thought about it that way, but yes I do,” she answered.
“Whose side are you leaning on in this war?” he asked her.
“I’m on God’s side,” she said strongly.
“Then repeat after me. My marriage, come on, my marriage.”
“My marriage,” she said, repeating after him.
“Will succeed because God wants it to succeed.” She repeated his sentence with a new found boldness.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” David continued.
“I can,” she said standing to her feet, “do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” he said, sounding like a preacher.
She repeated his last statement looking up toward the ceiling as if she saw someone there. Then a very large smile appeared, that he had not seen before. “You know what, I feel better,” she said.
“If you will continue to confess this,” he said, “no matter how the situation appears now or even if it seems to worsen, things will change. Your entire situation will be turned around.” She seemed a different person, as she walked out the door. As soon as it closed he threw a punch in the air with his fist and said, “take that devil.”
The feelings of victory he cherished for the next few hours were stolen after he returned home. The flashing light of the police car spelled trouble. He wondered what was happening now, as he parked his car and hurried to his apartment. The problem was obviously connected to the new neighbors. David climbed the flight of stairs, not knowing what to expect. All was quiet in the hallways. He put his key in the door just as the officer opened the neighbor’s door. He was wearing a badge that read ‘Sheriff.’ David spoke to him, as their eyes met for that one second. The sheriff said “good evening” and started to descend the flight of stairs. There was no hint of what had summoned him. He would have to wait and ask Brenda the next time he saw her, he thought. Surely she wouldn’t mind answering a few questions from her concerned neighbor. He had barely made it to his bedroom, when he heard loud voices. They were muffled but it was obvious that they were angry. He wasn’t quite sure what he should do; knock on the door, call the police or pray. Then he remembered that he was in a spiritual war. He quickly undressed and prepared for bed. But instead of going to bed, he went into the prayer room and prayed.
He prayed a fervent prayer for the marriage of the McCains. He also prayed for the Smiths and for his sister. Finally he prayed for his parents. In his prayer, he rebuked the enemy and every device being used against the people of God. He had not eaten since yesterday evening but was not particularly hungry. He was fasting because he knew this would strengthen the prayer life he so desperately needed. He wasn’t sure when the voices had calmed down to where he couldn’t hear them.
After prayer, he saw that an hour had passed. Although he had worked at the office later than usual, he saw that it was still only 8:30 p.m. He felt forces drawing him to the television but he resisted and grabbed his Bible instead. He clearly heard II Corinthians 4:8 in his spiritual ear. He found the passage and read it aloud.
“We are troubled on every side but not distressed, we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” Reading aloud helped to drown out the other voice that he heard. The tormenting voice that said, ‘why are you choosing to be unhappy?’ Who do you think you are? What makes you think God is using you? You can’t really make a difference in people’s lives. You should be doing things that will make you happy.
He continued to read II Corinthians 4:16-18 and resist the voice. “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen; but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
He was enjoying reading the scriptures as they seemed to add strength to his soul. Yet for some unexplained reason, a great heaviness of sleep overcame him.
David stood to his feet and applauded. His sister’s solo was beautiful! She had sung with such conviction, that she was moved with tears herself. He thought he had heard the song before, but was not sure. Such simple words. “From generation to generation, thou hast been our dwelling place. Will you now restore us with your mercy and your grace? Lord, break we now all images that don’t reflect your love, we turn from selfish pleasures and seek Thy face above.”
“Sing it again,” David shouted. He wasn’t sure if she heard him above the applause of the audience. He looked around and saw weary faces now applauding his sister. Both men and women. Her song caused not only applause, but people were dropping to their knees in what appeared to be an open act of repentance. David was shocked. Had this one song brought about a conviction so great that there was a mass repentance? He looked among the crowd for familiar faces.
His eyes continued to search the room until he found someone that looked a lot like his mother. He could only see the profile because she was turned around talking to someone. They were so far in the back that he wasn’t sure if they had heard Stephanie’s song. David waved his arms in the air to try to get her attention. “You need to hear Steph’s song!” he yelled. “Mom, did you hear Steph’s song?” Then he began to weep. Exhausted from trying to get his mother to hear Steph’s song, he turned again to his sister and said, “Please sing it again.” The melodious voice of this teenager again caused a hush over everyone there as she began, “Lord from generation to generation thou hast been our dwelling place.” David joined in with his voice to sing the next line.
He sang so loudly that he woke himself up singing. Staring in the darkness at the ceiling, he immediately lost the beautiful melody.
“What were those words?” he whispered into the silence. Not being able to find even a hint of the correct tune, he turned over again and fell back asleep.