…to not be afraid.
…to not be discouraged.
…that the battle is God’s.
…to march out against them.
…to not fight, but to take their positions.
…to believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm.
…to watch the Lord’s victory.
How did that work for them, I wondered? Well, I read that they did march out the next morning, and they went out singing. Here’s what they sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!” (2 Chron. 20:21 NIV)
At the moment their singing began, the opposing allied (at least previously) armies, began fighting against each other so that by the time the army of Judah arrived to the wilderness battle site, all they saw were the dead bodies of their enemies. And all they had done was go out prepared to stand! (I did notice they had to put on courage enough to go out... He didn't tell them to remain in the coziness of camp, did he?)
Before I read this yesterday, I was rather discouraged. There seems to be a lot of spiritual warfare going on around me these days...and I was feeling intimidated and rather worn out, and discouraged about how to live a life of meaning when it feels so difficult to simply live with prioritized purpose each day. And when my destiny seems undefined and most elusive…
But after the Holy Spirit led me to this passage and I’ve had time to dwell on it a bit, I’ve got a new stance I’m trying out. It’s a stance that doesn’t require fighting. In fact fighting isn’t even allowed. Instead, at least figuratively, I’m going out into the world each morning, and my standing looks something like this: My left hand is raised slightly in a fist at the evil in this world, and my right arm is lifted high in praise to my God, swaying to the melody coming from my lips as I sing toward the heavens:
“His love endures forever.”
It’s my victory stance. And I don’t even have to fight. The battle is the Lord’s.
And while the stance is meant to be figurative, I was repeating the praise phrase in many forms today: silently, whispered out loud, and yes, even a little in song. There is peace; there is power; there is victory. Just go out singing and stand...
