Over the years, I’ve had many opportunities to worship in my husband’s home church in Pennsylvania. Late Christmas Eve services were my favorite, but there were also special music services, ministry celebrations, and weekly worship services, of course. On one occasion, my father-in-law was conducting a Christmas cantata, and we drove in from Kentucky to surprise them. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces (my mother-in-law was in the choir) when they say their young granddaughters toddling down the center aisle looking for hugs before the services started. (You can bet they got them too!) 

We know The Church is a people not a building; and yet, the magnificent architecture, woodwork, and stained glass reaching high in that space has always been a tangible reminder to me that our God is big. And I am not. Yet somehow, I am His, and He is mine. What a miracle! 

We were in that room again a few weeks ago for a difficult occasion. This time I was drawn to the organ pipes at the front of the sanctuary. I’ve seen them a million times, stacked one on top of the other, and front to back as well, with arms stretched from the floor to the rafters. We’ve sung many hymns to their glorious accompaniment, and I think it’s a small taste of what heaven will be like. 

I commented to my husband how much I love the music from those pipes. “Not today,” he responded. “The organ isn’t attached. It’s been removed for repair.” I tried to wrap my mind around this. The pipes are there, looking as confident as ever, but they are utterly useless, nothing more than a decoration if the organ isn’t attached. 

In that moment, God clearly pressed upon my heart this truth from His word: “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Nothing. So why do we even try it? And yet, I know I can slip into the old pattern of not relying on Him. 

The good news is… if we’ve placed our trust in Christ for salvation, we don’t have to worry about being separated from Him like the pipes from the organ. He promises to stay, and He promises to “keep” us. Like the organ, His Spirit does the work to produce the fruit He desires. 

I pray this encourages you today. Our job is to lean into the things of the Lord. Abide in Him. He is the one who does the work, and He is faithful to complete it. 

(Additional scriptures: John 14:4-8, Galatians 5:22-23, Psalm 139, James 4:8, Philippians 1:6, and Jude 24-25). 

By Lori Barkley  

Lori and her husband Jim attend the Armstrong Mill campus where she serves as a deacon. They have two daughters in college, Brynn and Katy.