Day 29 - The Battle Part 2: Choose Your Battles
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. 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. 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.’” Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20:15-18
When King Jehoshaphat saw the that the Ammonites and Moabites we’re coming to attack, he said “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (v. 12b) This year, there will be battles and situations that will be too big for you and/or out of your control. You won’t be able to fight them single-handed, and you may not have the knowledge on how to even deal with them effectively. When this happens, your job is to acknowledge your limitations and call on God.
Once you understand, and admit, that you aren’t capable of winning some battles on your own, it’s easier to cast it all to God. The hard part is breaking down your pride and stubbornness to get to that point. I remember after my husband’s surgery a year ago feeling that life was just too much to bear. Well, it really was too much for me to bear. It took my husband going into the hospital for the third time (for an infection) for me to finally cave in and release everything to God. I was tired, beaten down, and could no longer hold myself up; I was desperate to hand my fight over to the Lord. I will never forget the moment when God asked me if I would trust Him even if I lost my husband. The moment I said “yes” was the instant the entire burden was lifted off of me. An inexplicable peace flowed through my body, spirit, and mind. I wish that I would’ve handed over that fight to God when I first saw how complicated and difficult the surgery and recovery would be. But, I believe God allows us to see our weaknesses first hand in order to entrust Him with our impending battles in the future.
The most difficult part, at least to me, about letting God fight your battles is standing still while He does so. When the Israelites were stuck between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, Moses told them “Do not be afraid! Take your stand [be firm and confident and undismayed] and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for those Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm” (Exodus 14:13-14, AMP). I will be the first to admit that sometimes when I don’t see things progressing or going the way I want, panic sets in and I find it hard to be quiet (this is where my needing to relinquish control comes in). But, I remind myself that God is in the victory-giving business. He specializes in tearing down seemingly invincible strongholds and crushing what we see as unconquerable giants.
And so, our confidence can lie in giving our biggest challenges to God, because He sees and knows what we do not. While we are struggling to strategize and prepare, He’s already gone in front of us and won the fight. And the best part? We will never have to face that battle again! In that, we can put our full assurance.