Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. (2 Chron. 20:17)
If we’re honest, sometimes when life’s battles loom ahead, we just want to run and hide. Though we may sincerely long to be courageous warriors, when God calls us to take on something difficult, fearless obedience can be hard to summon. Like the cowardly lion asked in The Wizard of Oz, where can we get the nerve, the courage, to accomplish something great?
God’s people were about to go into battle. They likely felt the emotions any normal person would under such circumstances. God revealed His understanding of their fears and concerns when He spoke through Jahaziel. Without chiding His people, God challenged those feelings, lovingly but directly. He reminded them that the battle was His, not theirs, and assured them that He would protect them and give them victory. What promises!
But they still had to go to the battlefield. They still had to courageously march forward, not knowing what God planned to do. That was essential to God’s plan. Similarly, when He calls us to difficult things, we can have every confidence that, when we are in God’s will, He will fight the battle. But to see the victory, we must not shy from the task—we must join with Him in the battle. We must obey all He commands. We must stand firm. And the beauty of it all is, of course, that He gives us the means to obey and stand; for we personally know the man behind the curtain. And He promises to see us through.
Consider the battle you face today, list your fears, and after each write, “Stand firm!”
Diane Gardner lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband. She enjoys oil painting, theater, music, and church ministry.
