The Lord's Battle

UV 1216/10,000 The Lord’s Battle
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you
2 Chronicles 20 v 17

We only need to focus on the locus of our life- the Lord God who holds our beginning, our whole lives and our end in His sovereign hands. We need not be overwhelmed by the huge odds against us- an army of powerful foes but wait with praise and thanksgiving on the Lord. The battle, meaning whatever struggle or challenge we are facing currently or about to face, is the Lord’s. We only have to set our faith and hope on the Lord, His name, His promises and His word. Faith implies believing even before we receive an answer or a resolution of a conflict within or without. Believing implies trusting in one’s heart and speaking with one’s mouth affirming his faith in the expressed and specific promise of God that He would fight the battle on our behalf. The Lord is with us as a mighty warrior. He will surely win the battle for us for He is invincible. He is not limited in the means He can use to deliver us, whatever be the size or power or influence of the adversary.

Our eyes should not be on our own resources or weapons but on the armaments of the Lord or His spiritual weapons. We need not fear or be disappointed or express anguish or anxiety but rest our fears in the Lord. The confidence that the Lord is with us, that His hand of protection is upon us is sufficient to neutralise every hidden fear and overcome any regret or worry. Sometimes we tend to join the fight, thinking that we must “help God.” But the Lord restrains us saying, “ be still and you will realize that I am God of the battle and in the flood.” We try to help God when we doubt if He is with us, when we are not sure whether He is capable or willing to fight our battle. We are not to run away from the battlefield. We are to wear the full armour of spiritual battle even though we do not engage in the actual fight. The full armour of battle includes a complete assurance of salvation in any of life’s situations and forever more into eternity, a good grip on the spiritual sword- the Word of God, the shield of faith to put out any anxious thoughts or to neutralise any real threats or “fiery darts”, the knee caps to kneel in prayer, the shoes of the willingness to take a stand for God and to go places for Him.

We will see and experience the deliverance or salvation of the Lord. We only need to be ready to go out as directed and take up our battle positions in prayer and in holding on to the promises of God. Holding on to the promise of God is like taking a firm stand in the trenches of the battle against the enemy. The Lord will first enable us to win the battle in our minds by overcoming our fear of death, defeat, loss, pain, disease, humiliation and suffering. He will not disappoint us but will always do more than we expect. He will cause us to rejoice with a spirit of jubilation.

Prateep V Philip