Tag: turmoils

The Art of War: Praises and Sword

~ Sowmya Gali

Psalm 149: 5-9

Let the godly ones exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,To execute on them the judgment written; this is an honor for all His godly one. Praise the Lord!

In the days of Nehemiah, the exiles returned to their beloved city Jerusalem. They were tasked to rebuild the temple and the wall of Jerusalem by the king of Persia, Artaxerxes. Nehemiah and a few exiles traveled to Jerusalem with official letters to carry out the rebuilding of the temple and the city walls. However, they ran into a lot of opposition from the Samaritans and others living in the region. Nehemiah encouraged the weak-hearted exiles to continue the good work as God will stand on their side and protect them. Despite interruptions, and threats, the rebuilding of the wall continued, and breaches were being closed. This infuriated the enemies of the Israelites. They conspired to thwart their efforts by infiltrating into their ranks, destroying them and their efforts from within.

Nehemiah continued to encourage the Israelites with the Word of God, constantly reminding them not to be afraid and to remember the greatness and power of their God. He encouraged them to continue to fight for their families and their fellow countrymen. Simultaneously, he urged half of his men to take up swords, spears, shields, bows and arrows and stand guard for the other half of the men who continued rebuilding the walls. Nehemiah 4: 17 – Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. Thus, they continued rebuilding the wall while declaring that Our God will fight for us (Nehemiah 4: 20).

Our life is a battlefield. Our home is a battlefield. Our mind is a battlefield. Every corner we turn, there is the enemy lurking to pounce on us. We conquer one enemy; another one pops up. Many a times, we are battling more than one enemy on multiple fronts. As long as we are on this earth, we will continue to fight until our dying breath. There is not a moment of respite. We are fighting the battles of temptation, addiction, denial, health, apostasy, atheism, debt, politics, culture, social, etc. There never seems to an end to our battles.

Dear Saint of God, we must learn to equip ourselves well for the battles we face. It is not just equipping but utilizing the weaponry we have to fight. First and foremost, we must believe that our God is on our side. When we believe that, half the battle is already won. Marching ahead with the weaponry we have; we will see the victory. The Psalmist declared the praises of God with his mouth. Let the praises of God be in our mouths and on our lips at all times. When we have God on our minds, then songs of joy will erupt from our hearts. Let us declare that we are righteous through Christ. Let us buckle ourselves with the Truth. Let us be ready to defend the Gospel. Let us shield ourselves with such a faith in our Almighty that no weapon formed against us can prevail. Let us walk confidently that we are saved by the blood of the Lamb. Last, but most importantly, the only offensive weapon in our hand is the Sword – the Word of God, that we must take up to fight against the enemies.

That is all we need to march into life’s battles: Mouths filled with the praises of God and declaring the Word of God. No enemy can stand against such a deadly force. The Israelites rebuilt the city walls with one hand and held a sword in the other to fight the enemy. Even when the enemy infiltrated their ranks, they were able to fend off. Numerous times, we are fighting in a close warfare. The enemy could be someone who is close to us. If we are immersed in the Word of God, then we can use this Sword of God in close battles. Spears, bows and arrows are used against the enemy that is far off and charging towards us. If we have shielded ourselves well with faith in God, then we can charge ahead while protecting ourselves from the onslaught of the culture, social and other societal battles.

Dearly beloved, let us use our God-given weaponry. Praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness. Praise Him for His awesomeness. Praise Him for His glorious power. Praise Him for His abundant mercy and love. Praise Him for who He is. Let such praises always be on our lips, in our mouths and in our hearts. With the Sword of God in our hands, we can fight any enemy that comes against us. With the Sword of God, we can silence the taunts and boasts of the enemy. Let the Word of God be your sword. For He will give you wisdom when and how to use this all-consuming, all-powerful Word for our victory.

Position Yourself

~ Sowmya Gali

2 Chronicles 20: 17

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.

King Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, found himself and his kingdom surrounded by not one enemy but three. Word came to him that a great multitude is coming against him. Fear gripped him and not knowing what else to do, he turned to the Lord. In the past, God rescued him from battles. He had been a righteous king for the nation of Judah. He followed God faithfully and did everything just as King David (2 Chronicles 17: 3). He tore down the high places of Baal (2 Chronicles 17: 6).

Additionally, he appointed teachers to teach the Word of God in all Judah. Together with some priests, they traveled all through Judah teaching the commandments of the Lord from the Book of the Law (2 Chronicles 17: 7-9). Jehoshaphat understood that the people were ignorant of the Law of God, because his forefathers strayed away from the Lord. Because of lack of righteous kings before him, the people of Judah were unaware of the Law of God. Jehoshaphat was wise enough to first educate people in the Law of God so the people would return to righteous ways. He appointed righteous judges in each city of Judah to render righteous judgment (2 Chronicles 19: 5-6). The surrounding nations were in dread because of God’s hand on Jehoshaphat and Judah. Instead of waging war, they brought in tribute. Despite his misstep of befriending wicked Ahab, the king of Israel, he sought the Lord’s counsel, and the Lord was with him.

When three enemies surrounded him, Jehoshaphat declared a fast throughout all Judah to seek help from the Lord. When all Judah assembled before the temple in Jerusalem, King Jehoshaphat praised the Lord Almighty for His faithfulness in protecting His people. The Spirit of the Lord came upon a man named Jahaziel, who declared that the battle is not his but God’s. He also commanded that the king and the people of Judah to not be afraid or dismayed. He declared that God will fight this battle on their behalf.

However, God commands the king and the people to prepare themselves for the battle the next day, position themselves, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord. When they heard this, the king and the people of Judah bowed and worshipped the Lord. The following day, the Levites encouraged the king furthermore to trust in the Lord. He consulted with them and appointed singers to sing praises to the Lord. He positioned these singers in front of the army. As they walked towards the battle, the singers praised the Lord saying, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Our faithful God set ambushes against the enemies of Judah, causing to fight amongst themselves and destroy each other completely. As the people of Judah approached the lookout, only corpses of soldiers were found and none escaped. The defeat of the enemy was complete. Jehoshaphat and his people went back to Jerusalem with the spoils of war and joy in their hearts. Because of such display of the power of God, the surrounding nations were in terror knowing that the God of Judah is fighting their battles. King Jehoshaphat remained faithful to the Lord all the days of his life.

King Jehoshaphat worshipped God and sought His counsel in every aspect. When trouble was brewing nearby, without seeking counsel from anyone, he sought the Lord’s counsel. When fear gripped him, he fell into God’s strong arms. His position before the Lord was righteous. Though weak, he found strength in the Lord. How are we positioning ourselves in our lives today? Do we have a righteous standing before the Lord? Do we run to God when trouble is nearby? Do we seek Lord’s counsel when we are at the crossroads?

Whatever type of enemy we face today, whether family, health, financial, mental or spiritual, whose counsel do we seek? With treacherous mountains looming above us, do we rest knowing that our Lord walks before us and behind us? Have we positioned ourselves before Him so we could see our Lord fighting our battles for us? Are we praising and worshipping the Lord despite our troubled circumstances? Praise + Worship = Victory. Are we able to apply this formula in our walk of faith?

Dearly beloved, may the Spirit of God assure your troubled heart this day and this very hour to not be afraid nor dismayed, but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. When you find yourself at the crossroads, unable to find the path that God has set before you, run to the One who willed that path for you. Position yourself as a praising vessel before the Lord. Position yourself as a seeker of God and His counsel in every aspect of your life. Position yourself as a witness of God’s goodness and faithfulness. When you find yourself on the lookout, you will see a completely defeated enemy. All you have to do is walk into the blessings of God that will be too numerous to count.