Ensign of Victory

UV 1366/10,000 Ensign of Victory
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Isaiah 59 v 19

The name of the Lord is to be honoured from the rising of the sun to its setting, in terms of diurnal time as well as geographical location. He lifted us up from the valley of tears, sorrows and curses and placed us on the mountain of laughter, joy, victory and blessedness. He is the guarantor of our peace. His name is to be acknowledged as the greatest in all nations and people. Our faith in the greatness of His name, word, grace and power is our shield and source of strength. Jesus is “the root of Jesse” that is our ensign that is mentioned in scripture. An ensign is a mark, sign, court of arms, symbol or standard of a ruler. The words “the root of Jesse” is a prophetic word as from the genealogy of Jesse, the once and future King of Kings Jesus would arise. From the root of Jesse, came King David, the shepherd turned king. But Jesus is the Shepherd-King not a shepherd turned king. When we are grafted to the root of Jesse, it is a sign of certain victory. It is a sign of kingship emerging from our roots. The rest of our lives will be glorious. Our “ rest” or eternity will be glorious. When we see a flood coming, it is a sign of our greatest victory and blessing.

At what point in time or in our lives does the Lord chose to directly intervene to ensure our victory. He patiently watches over us like a good shepherd. He waits and watches till the enemy gathers momentum in his attack and plans to overwhelm us with the sheer fierceness of his assault like a flood. At this point, the Lord will raise a standard, a sign of authority, sovereignty and victory. It will cause the flood to recede, the enemy to be dissipated and dispersed. The standard that Moses lifted up was the bronze serpent twirled around a pole. When people who were bitten by poisonous snakes in the desert looked at the bronze serpent, they were healed. This symbol or ensign stood for the sinless Jesus who was lifted up on a cross to die a sinner’s death. When we look at Jesus with faith as the Israelites looked at the bronze serpent with an expectation of being saved from death, we are saved from eternal death. The Lord’s heel will crush even a brood of vipers. His resurrection proved that the enemy could only hurt His heel.

When the enemy, who wants to steal our peace, rob our joy and kill our hope, sends a flood of troubles our way, the Lord will create the high ground for us to take shelter. He will restore our peace, joy and hope. He will manifest His nature as Jehovah Nissi, the God of victory. When we lift up His name from morning to night, He assures us of victory. He will instead flood us with His blessings. He accomplishes His will for our lives not with an external manifestation of power or might but by the gentle working of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit orchestrates things so that the flood is reversed and turned into a downpour of blessings. We must be so filled with the knowledge of His word as the waters fill the sea. Just as the seas are never still but have waves always being formed on the surface, our minds and hearts should always be filled with waves of His grace, mercy and peace. So much so, each of us become an ensign or symbol or mark of the Commander- in –Chief. Without Jesus, the enemy fills our minds and hearts with a feeling of guilt as if we are thieves but with our eyes of faith fixed on Jesus lifted up as King-Commander, we become chiefs or rulers in His eyes.

Prateep V Philip