The Battle is the Lord's

Do you ever wonder why anger comes up in you and there is no reason for it? Sometimes we say we are in a “funk”, yet to define what got us there is beyond us. However, our moods and emotions are never beyond the Holy Spirit. This morning the Lord answered a question I had about my own mood. He told that, because I hadn’t won a particular victory through my prayers, I felt that things were useless. I thought the battle was mine, when in fact, the battle is always the Lord’s. Here is the lesson He gave me along this line.

We have many examples of battles lost and won in the Old Testament of the Bible. I was led to read in 2 Chronicles 14 about Asa, a king of Judah who did right in the sight of the Lord. He destroyed idols, and built up the towns, putting walls around them. God was with the nation of Judah because of the actions of their godly king. We also must tear down idols to have God’s favor in our lives. When our hearts are right and we are restored in our relationship with God we then fortify our life, building up our faith and protecting ourselves by the word of God.

After we have rid our lives of idols and fortified ourselves with the word of God, which builds up our faith, our enemy will come against us to discourage the progress we have made. This is what happened to the nation of Judah after their cities became fortified. Then Asa got his army into position for battle. He cried out to God, first affirming that they needed a balance in power, for the enemy’s army was vast. He said, “There is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty.” Then Asa asked for God to help them, for “we rely on you.” Third, Asa told the Lord that it was in His name that they were coming against this vast army. And forth, He declared “You are our God; do not let Man prevail against you.” This is a good strategy for any battle we encounter.

Balance of power – Asa was a direct descendant of King David. David wrote that the Lord “rescued me from my powerful enemy . . . who were too strong for me (Ps 18:17). Asa’s father Abijah was also delivered in a battle where his army had been surrounded by the enemy (2 Chron 13:13-17). And Asa’s son Jehoshaphat would later face a “vast army” (2 Chron 20:12) to realize that God would be on their side, bringing His power to overcome the stronger army. He said that “power and might are in your hand and no one can withstand you (2 Chron 20:6). Jehoshapaht understood that God ruled over kingdoms. So we see that not only is the Lord capable of overpowering the stronger army, but it is His pattern. When Asa later relied on an alliance with another king instead of the Lord Hanani the seer told him that “the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chron 16:9). Sadly, because Asa had made the alliance with the other king he was not blessed with peace but continual war.

Trusting God – King David trusted God (Ps 18:30-32) as did Abijah (2 Chron 13:18). God should be the first One we turn to when things turn out badly, not man.
Defending our faith – our faith, and belief in the truth of what the Lord says, is worth defending. When we confess Jesus’ name on earth He will confess our names before the angels of God (Lk 12:8). If we take a stand in our faith, we have the Lord taking a stand in heaven for us. As king Asa had told the Lord that they came against the vast army “in your name”, so his son Jehoshaphat told the Lord that the Jews had build the land as a sanctuary “for your name.” (2 Chron 20:8) They were standing in defense of what the Lord had established, bringing God into the battle to fight for and with them.

Recognizing the players – When our enemy comes against us, it is an affront to God. God intends to win the battle. Asa affirmed whose battle it was when he said “You are our God; do not let Man prevail against you.” (2 Chron 14:11). After we have stood our ground, enlisting God’s help in defense of what is His, we need to recognize that the battle is the Lord’s. We do not need to get angry, be discouraged, or throw our hands up in frustration and say “I quit!” God wants to establish His kingdom on the earth through us and is looking for those who are committed to Him, to strengthen us. Though He establishes the kingdom with our help, it is really His battle, and not ours alone.