Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Talk Tuesday-Our Battle Cry


I have often heard it said that the battle the Lord's. What does this mean? We are called to trust God in every season of our lives, but when the battle is raging, the struggle between faith and fear escalates. In 2 Chronicles 20, the people of Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir come to battle against the people of Judah. King Jehosaphat gathers all the people together to pray and seek the LORD. They begin their petition by acknowledging who God is, recounting what He has done for them and declaring their dependence on Him alone. 

“O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ 10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You,” 2 Chronicles 20:6-12.  

God's response, communicated through Jahaziel son of Zechariah, is a bold proclamation of protection, favour and victory.“Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s,” 2 Chron. 15; “'You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you,” 2 Chronicles 20:17. 

In the midst of the battle patience, perseverance and faith are required of God's children. Yet, it is the presence of praise and worship that moves God's mighty hand. “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated,” 2 Chron. 20:22.  

How can we trust God when things seem impossible? What are some of the things you do to keep grounded in faith when fear is pounding at the door of your heart? Why do you think praise and worship was important here? Do you find it hard to worship in the midst of the battle?  Please share your thoughts with the BGO community by clicking on the comments link below. We look forward to hearing from you!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes. At those times, it is hard to pray - initially.
When I'm beyond scared, and my heart is racing , and my head is spinning and going through the different scenarios and trying to solution it and not despair, it is hard to put it down - even for a few minutes - to pray. But once the praying begins, I find it a slow start to then pouring out of my heart like a waterfall. I start by acknowledging my God and who He is to me: my Saviour, my Rock, Yahweh, Yeshua, Holy Spirit, Name Above All Names...I take my time in this first step. By focusing on God Himself and then praising Him and thanking Him for all the blessings in my life (and not focusing on my problem), my fear already begins to subside. Physically, my heart would even slow its pace and I've got a measure of peace just being in His presence. Then I tell Him what's going on (not that He doesn't already know), but I can petition Him for help, for wisdom and for strength to get through it or out of it.

If I was more musically gifted, I'd worship Him in song :) (which is why church service always makes me feel better - no matter what burdens I had brought with me that day).

Back to the battle, I need to present my needs to God over and over again when I find myself worrying again. But this really helps me not to be anxious. I give it to God and trust Him with it. I also think the key is to really believe in Him and trust the Lord that whatever is happening that He is in charge, that He has a plan, and that you actually say out loud (and believe with all your heart) that God's Will Be Done. Anyway, what does scripture say? 'By worrying who can add a year to his life?!

The other thing that keeps me grounded is of course reading my Bible, reading His promises and getting advice from Godly friends and asking people to pray alongside me.

But I don't like that season...I know, no one does.

Natasha said...

Dear Anonymous #1,

Thank you so much for your post! It is so comforting to hear from other Believers about what they do and how they feel in the midst of a trial. I have found that we have to persevere in order to see the blessings of God.

It is hard to trust, and not worry. Sometimes it is a struggle to pray, seek and worship him when the battle is raging on. I remember meditating on Psalm 103 and pondering how David commands his soul to bless the LORD. Our battle cry is the name of the LORD. "Blessed is the man who trusts in Him" Psalm 34:8.

Thank you for reminding us that GOD is always in charge, He has a plan and that He is sovereign. May we continue to spur each other on to the finish line in Christ Jesus!

Anonymous said...

First of all let me thank you for this Holy Spirit inspired post! It speaks directly to my family’s own personal experiences. We have gone through so much, however, as we travail in prayer, we hold fast to God’s promises: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s,” 2 Chron. 15.
Last year, at the height of our battle, when I had returned from Sunday service and lay at home in a semi-doze, the Lord spoke very clearly to me, the following Words twice: “Psalm 95.”
Here is the 1st verse of this beautiful psalm:
“ Come let us sing for joy to the Lord;
Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving
And extol Him with music and song.”
Why would the Holy Spirit tell us in the midst of our battles to ‘sing for joy to the Lord….to come before Him with thanksgiving?…” Your post aptly answers this question: “In the midst of the battle patience, perseverance and faith are required of God's children. Yet, it is the presence of praise and worship that moves God's mighty hand.”
You ask, “How can we trust God when things seem impossible?” Obedience to His Word!
“What are some of the things you do to keep grounded in faith when fear is pounding at the door of your heart?” Obedience to His Word!
Do you find it hard to worship in the midst of the battle? Yes! Obedience to His Word! “Why do you think praise and worship was important here? I quote your anointed response “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated,” 2 Chron. 20:22.
Yes, when our praises go up, His glory comes down!
Therefore, in the midst of the battle that continues to wage in our family, we move in obedience to His Word …..Psalm 95.
In the mighty name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, “yet still we rise………………!”

Anonymous said...

Anonymous No.1, I love your summation: "also think the key is to really believe in Him and trust the Lord that whatever is happening that He is in charge, that He has a plan, and that you actually say out loud (and believe with all your heart) that God's Will Be Done. Anyway, what does scripture say? 'By worrying who can add a year to his life?!" So true!

Farah said...

Dear Natasha and Andrew,

Thank you for yet another Spirit-inspired post! I've experienced the power of praise and worship in the midst of my own "battles", and I agree with the Scripture and you -praise and worship truly do move God's mighty hand! Even though it's not always easy to praise and worship in the midst of the battle, I know that it works! I love Jehoshaphat's response, "we do not know what to do but our eyes are on You". During the battle, God wants us to look to Him because He is the true Warrior, and praise and worship allow us do just that.

Blessings,
Farah

Natasha said...

Anonymous #2,

Thank you for sharing your testimony of having to persevere, praise, worship, trust and obey during your family's season of trial. It is encouraging for us to stand, as the Body of Christ, taking strength from His word and being encouraged by one another as we march onwards to the finish line. These feel like perilous times, where the Enemy is advancing with his schemes and pitfalls. Yet God's word in 1 John 4:4 reminds us that, 'Greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world."

Jesus IS able in all things! WE are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. In Him we live, breathe, move and find our being.

Amen and amen!

Natasha said...

Farah,

Thank you for your great reminder! Yes, GOD is the TRUE Warrior and we must keep our eyes on Him. Thank you for that exhortation and encouraging the Body of Christ!

Blessings to you!

thankful said...

Love what Anonymous #2 said: Yes, Yes, when our praises go up, His glory comes down! I'm going to remember that little line :)