Stand Firm, It’s Not Your Battle
Because I tuned in, turned on and dropped out, I came across a sermon that was the key to overcome anxiety. This is why I cannot express enough that we listen to sermon after sermon, and read and understand verse after verse. Not only are we reprogramming our mind with the Truth, but we are exposing our minds to scripture, many of which will bring us revelation.
The sermon was based on 2 Chronicles 20, which is the story of God saving Israel from certain annihilation from three armies that came to destroy them. The king of Judah summoned all the men, women and children to the temple to pray. In prayer, they first recognized who God is, what great things he has done, and then they brought their petition to Him, which was deliverance from their enemies.
God responded with prophecy through a man named Jahaziel, and He said, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s…Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf… Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17) In the face of a major crisis, God tells His people to stand firm, but this is not their battle.
Not their battle? How can it be that three different nations were coming to wipe out all the people in Judah, but yet it wasn’t their battle? The armies were there to fight them. This really seemed to be their battle. How could they stand firm when they were outnumbered and their death was imminent? “Stand shaky” seems more appropriate. How could God tell them not to worry when there seemed to be no solution to the problem, and they were all going to die? Freak out and plead for your lives would be more applicable. God’s answer was, it is His battle, and it was for Him to deal with.
Just because we do not see God, and for some do not have any evidence of Him in their life, God is a very real, interactive, physical and tangible being. Just as God delivered the Jews when they were backed up against the Red Sea, and Pharaoh’s army was charging to annihilate them, we have to remember and KNOW that God will still deliver us EVERY time we face a situation that seems impossible. It may be impossible for us, but not for the Creator of the universe.
However, the fact that God will fight our battles was an issue for me. I didn’t understand, why would God fight our battles? How can we grow if we constantly have God bailing us out? It is not very good parental advice, in my eyes, because people need to know how to fight, struggle and persevere in order to build character. So, why would He fight our battles?
Because He loves us? Because we are His creation? Because He wants us to always depend upon Him? Yes, yes and yes. But that is not the whole answer.
The second part of the answer was the key to my freedom, and I cover that in the next devotional.
Bible Verses
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.’”
2 Chronicles 20:15-17 (NLT)