The Battle Is Raging
"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. (2 Chronicles 20:15)."
In this passage of scripture, Jahaziel was speaking to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They were fearful because of the great army of men coming to drive them out of their land. They knew in their own strength they could not defeat all these men who were coming against them. Jahaziel spoke life into them and they had a choice to make. Were they going to believe God is who He says He is? Were they going to take Him at His word? This was definitely a test of their faith. They did not know what was going to happen, but they chose to trust in God to come through for them and let Him fight the battle.
It is the same for you and me today. The battle that you are in belongs to the Lord. And just like Jehaziel told them, you and me are to take up our positions, stand firm, and see the deliverance the Lord will give you (2 Chronicles 20:17)". So what does that look like? For starters, it is not worrying about what may happen. It is not getting ahead of God and it is not trying to take matters into our own hands. It is resting in His promises no matter what the circumstances may look like from our human perspective. It is walking by faith and believing God will work it out for your good because you love Him and are called according to His purpose. It is rising above your present circumstances which may be very dark and choosing to look to Jesus and keep your eyes fixed on Him. When you do this, your problems may not go away immediately, but God will give you His peace that passes all human understanding and fill you with joy.
Life is hard, but remember God is always good. He is true to His word and He is faithful even when we are not. He has chosen this trial for you because He knows what you can handle. He is taking you through the fire to refine you and make you more like Him. As you go through the trial and choose to keep your eyes on Him, you bring Him glory because others see His light shining through you in spite of your present storm. Don't you see, light shines so brightly in the darkness. You are that light! You have the Holy Spirit of the Almighty God living on the inside of you. It is easy to praise God and give Him thanks when things are going good. But God is worthy of our praise all the time, no matter what we are going through! Praise Him for what He is doing in the difficult times of your life. He has a purpose for your pain my friend and He will not leave you in the fire a moment too long. Your story is being written and after you come out of the fire, you will have a testimony to share with others. Victory is on the way! How do I know this you may be asking? Because you are a child of the Most High! He loves you so much. We can be assured as David was when he wrote Psalm 27, "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (13-14)." God is not on our time schedule. He does things in His time. Waiting is not something anyone likes to do, but it is essential in the life of a believer to wait on the Lord. We want things fixed immediately. We want an answer right now, but often times, our answer does not come right away. We must learn to trust God and His perfect timing.
I don't know what you are going through right now my friend, but know that God has not abandoned you. He may be silent, but He has not forsaken you. Maybe He is growing your faith. Maybe He is teaching you something that you could only learn in the fire. Rest in Him and His word. Remember who God is....He is just, holy, true, loving, faithful, forgiving, compassionate, merciful and sovereign. He will never ever fail you.
"Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Who O God is like You? Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again, from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again (Psalm 71:19-21)."
In this passage of scripture, Jahaziel was speaking to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They were fearful because of the great army of men coming to drive them out of their land. They knew in their own strength they could not defeat all these men who were coming against them. Jahaziel spoke life into them and they had a choice to make. Were they going to believe God is who He says He is? Were they going to take Him at His word? This was definitely a test of their faith. They did not know what was going to happen, but they chose to trust in God to come through for them and let Him fight the battle.
It is the same for you and me today. The battle that you are in belongs to the Lord. And just like Jehaziel told them, you and me are to take up our positions, stand firm, and see the deliverance the Lord will give you (2 Chronicles 20:17)". So what does that look like? For starters, it is not worrying about what may happen. It is not getting ahead of God and it is not trying to take matters into our own hands. It is resting in His promises no matter what the circumstances may look like from our human perspective. It is walking by faith and believing God will work it out for your good because you love Him and are called according to His purpose. It is rising above your present circumstances which may be very dark and choosing to look to Jesus and keep your eyes fixed on Him. When you do this, your problems may not go away immediately, but God will give you His peace that passes all human understanding and fill you with joy.
Life is hard, but remember God is always good. He is true to His word and He is faithful even when we are not. He has chosen this trial for you because He knows what you can handle. He is taking you through the fire to refine you and make you more like Him. As you go through the trial and choose to keep your eyes on Him, you bring Him glory because others see His light shining through you in spite of your present storm. Don't you see, light shines so brightly in the darkness. You are that light! You have the Holy Spirit of the Almighty God living on the inside of you. It is easy to praise God and give Him thanks when things are going good. But God is worthy of our praise all the time, no matter what we are going through! Praise Him for what He is doing in the difficult times of your life. He has a purpose for your pain my friend and He will not leave you in the fire a moment too long. Your story is being written and after you come out of the fire, you will have a testimony to share with others. Victory is on the way! How do I know this you may be asking? Because you are a child of the Most High! He loves you so much. We can be assured as David was when he wrote Psalm 27, "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (13-14)." God is not on our time schedule. He does things in His time. Waiting is not something anyone likes to do, but it is essential in the life of a believer to wait on the Lord. We want things fixed immediately. We want an answer right now, but often times, our answer does not come right away. We must learn to trust God and His perfect timing.
I don't know what you are going through right now my friend, but know that God has not abandoned you. He may be silent, but He has not forsaken you. Maybe He is growing your faith. Maybe He is teaching you something that you could only learn in the fire. Rest in Him and His word. Remember who God is....He is just, holy, true, loving, faithful, forgiving, compassionate, merciful and sovereign. He will never ever fail you.
"Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Who O God is like You? Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again, from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again (Psalm 71:19-21)."
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