The Battle is not Yours
2 Chronicles 20:14-23 14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. ” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.”
22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
How many times have we read of conquests in the Bible that would have been impossible but for God? In today’s scripture we find the impossible was accomplished, all because God’s people listened and obeyed. The people were instructed not to be afraid or discouraged, to stand fast and to praise God for the battle was already won.
If we could see through the haze of war to know the conclusion of our battles, then we would not be living by faith. No, it is when we keep our eyes on Jesus and adhere to His promises that the battle is won, not through our strength but by His.
May we rely on our Lord and Savior each step of the way, praising Him for what has already been accomplished in the heavenlies.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Forgiveness, redemption and renewal
Psalms 103:1-10 (NKJV) 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, he will
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.7
Isn’t it good to sing praises to God? In this psalm, David has reached old age, and he is reflecting on some of the benefits of living with and for the Lord. For those of us who were raised in church, we immediately recognize the themes of forgiveness, redemption and renewal.
Because we have received forgiveness, it is incumbent upon us to forgive others. But how can I forgive someone when I know they will hurt me again? I remember that forgiveness is an act of obedience to God and obeying God is so much more important than the concerns I might have over being hurt again.
Redemption means we are being bought back, often at a great price. Jesus bought our redemption at Calvary and we are so blessed to be able walk in that saving grace every day.
Finally, we look at renewal, which is the regeneration of our spirits after they have been sullied by sin. Only God can replace what has been essentially destroyed. But the good news is that nothing us too big for God.
May we place ourselves in the hands of the Almighty God so that He can work in us and through us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
WAITING EXPECTANTLY
Psalms 5 Psalm 5
For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
1 Listen to my words, LORD,
consider my lament.
2 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
5 The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
6 you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.
7 But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8 Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
… 11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 Surely, LORD, you
bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Many scriptures advise us to wait on the Lord, but how many scriptures explain how we are to wait. Psalm 25 says we are to wait expectantly.
We all know what the word expectant means. We are to look forward with hope. And what is hope? Hope is confident expectation. Pretty circular, isn’t it? But can one exist without the other?
I am so thankful for a God of Provision who does not leave us in our need. Instead, when we walk hand in hand with God we can know, believe and understand that He will supply our needs according to His riches in glory.
You see, I contend that neither hope nor expectation can exist without God. When we wait upon the Lord we are not taking a risk, but we are living into our faith.
May your faith lift you up today so that you can face any obstacle.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord Reigns
Psalms 97:1-6 (NKJV) 1 The LORD reigns;
Let the earth rejoice;
Let the multitude of isles be glad!
2 Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3 A fire goes before Him,
And burns up His enemies round about.
4 His lightnings light the world;
The earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory.
When I read Psalm 97 I am immediately reminded of not only the majesty of God, but also the way the earth declares His wonders. How many of us can view the earth awakening from a long night’s rest, and fail to see God in the splendor of the sunrise? And can you stand before a waterfall, or view a mountain range and suppress the praise within you?
I am so thankful for the physical reminders of God’s creation that I want nothing more than to bow down in wonder before His throne. And then I consider eternity, but only for a short time, for to me the concept of forever is something I cannot grasp. I can only be grateful that one day the beauty of this earth will give way to the magnificence of heaven. And, as the song says,
“ What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
When I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
Then He’ll take me by the hand,
And lead me through the Promised Land,
Oh, what a day, glorious day that will be.
May we meet each day with the anticipation of a child waking up on his birthday, wondering what marvelous surprises await, and may we never forget to praise God, for it is by Him we live, and move and have our being.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen .
Pray Always
Luke 18:1-8 1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
So, is this parable about justice, or is it about being persistent in prayer? Or, perhaps it refers to the faithfulness of God.
Since the judge is considered unjust, we understand that the parable is not teaching about justice. Otherwise, the woman’s plea for justice would have been answered the first time.
Instead, Jesus is trying to teach the importance of prayer. I have often said we should approach God as a first response, not as a last resort. The woman in this parable did not approach the judge multiple times because she believed he had not heard her. Quite the contrary. She knew her pleas were heard, but because they were not acted upon the woman was relentless in her requests.
God always answer our prayers, just not in the way we expect. Sometimes the answer is “yes”, at other times “no”, and still at other times “not now”. When we pray often we can develop the ability to discern the difference.
Finally, persistent prayer does not reflect unbelief. Rather, it is an act of faith as we take our requests before God’s throne as many times as needed. And when we end our prayers with “in Jesus’ name”, we are saying that we are asking in agreement with Jesus, according to His will,
May we learn to be persistent in prayer, faithful in our beliefs, and careful to praise God in all situations, at all times.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 