The Battle's Not Yours

“We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” 
- 2 Chronicles 32:8

A battle isn’t something that only soldiers or people in a war come across and face head-on.  Battles challenge each one of us every day and can come from many different sources.  Maybe they are minuscule battles like getting your car to start, prying off your fighting kids from each other, or trying to get somewhere on time.  Maybe they are huge and quite trying battles like grieving over the loss of a loved one, getting an upsetting medical diagnosis, or wondering how you are going to make ends meet.  Whatever the battle might be…it’s something you are fighting or struggling against that is making you just about lose your mind. 

Battles, like the ones mentioned above, occur all throughout the Bible (okay, not so much the car not starting….maybe we could replace the word “car” with “camel”).  However, a battle I want to focus on for just a minute did have to do with an actual “soldier to soldier” battle.  Back in 1 Samuel, the Israelites were terrified …with a capital “T.”  They were facing an enormous battle with a huge…and I mean HUGE…army called the Philistines.  Extra emphasis is placed on the word HUGE because the Philistines had a warrior who was 9 feet tall.  This warrior’s name was Goliath and he was pretty adamant that he and his army were going to defeat and slay the Israelites.  How in the world could the Israelites win this battle? 

Well, we all know what happens next.  A small, shepherd boy named David came, told King Saul that he would fight Goliath, and lo and behold he did, and WON…with one small stone nonetheless!  I absolutely love David’s words to Goliath before he defeated him and the Philistine army.   David said, “The battle belongs to the Lord, and He will help us defeat all of you” (1 Samuel 17:47).  Further on in the Bible there are even more instances of individuals facing harrowing battles but being reminded that they don’t have to face them alone.

At first you might think…“It’s impossible for God to take my battle and defeat it.  He’s not here; He can’t physically/emotionally/tangibly fight my battle.”  May I remind you of Luke 1:37?  “For nothing is impossible with God.”  He will fight for us…we just have to be trusting and ever faithful in His Love, His Word, and His promises.  This involves us giving up control of our lives and letting God take control, which as humans can be hard to do.  But how relieving is it to know that no matter what battles we face, we can give them to the Lord?!  He lets us cast our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7), promises to never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), and makes a way where there seems to be no way (Isaiah 43:19).  Sickness…loss…heartache and even that pesky car that won’t start – God’s in control and He will help us if we call on Him. 

So next time you’re standing in the battlefield feeling like you’re going to be defeated, just remember you have a Heavenly Father who’s there – ready, willing and able to take over and fight it for you.  2 Chronicles 20:15 says it well, “This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid!  Don’t be discouraged…for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”