Is The Battle really His?
In our walks on this world we are constantly bombarded with a message of independence. In America this ideal rings out as one of the top ideals. You never want to be beholden to another. Or even in our ally to the East, Great Britain, this ideal holds true. In the poem Invictus, by William Ernest Henley, he states, “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” But where does this get us? During my abiding walk I have fought many battles, won some, lost many. But each victory brings about another battle. And each loss brings about sorrow and shame. In an overwhelming time what did my fight get me? I contemplated this when the question came to mind, “If you say the Lord will fight your battles, why are you still making battle plans?”
When we are abiding in the Lord three skills define our relationship. The first skill has to deal with reading His word for transformation. The second, Dependence on the Lord. The third, learning to listen to His illumination. When I choose to fight these battles on my terms, through the work of my flesh, I don’t rely on either of these. I get my nutrients from myself, rather than the vine Jesus talks about in John 15. Whenever I try to define a new way to deal with a problem, read this self-help book, try this new psychological method, attend this group, talk to this person, give charitably, these are methods developed with my own flesh. They may be positive responses to a flesh issue, some poor coping skill or defense mechanism, or deal with my poor response to an external issue, an ex, an obstinate child, a violent coworker, etc. But all of these methods have one thing in common; I am dealing with them in my own sovereignty.
As Christians we are called to have the Lord fight our battle. We are called to take refuge in Him. He has been called the fortress in our weakness, a mighty tower, our refuge, told to hide in his secret pavilion. He has been named the Mighty One of Israel, the Avenger, our ever-present help in time of trouble. He has been spoken of as our protector, one who walks with us through the valley of death, that He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. Any Christian who has sat in church for years might have heard one or more of these names or titles for Jehovah Nissi. Yet I posit the question to you, When was the last time you surrendered your life to this Mighty One?
When I talk about surrender, I don’t mean the initial bowing or bending your knee to acknowledge his Lordship and his salvation, though that was the start. When I have an ex-wife/husband who exploits me or talk negatively about me do I surrender my validation and vindication to Him? When my child won’t listen or says they hate me, do I bend my knee in response to the one who loved me so much He died on a cross and took the curse of my obstinance on himself? When a co-worker or close friend insults me behind my back or talks slanderously about my work ethic, my ministry, or my parenting, do I call on the Lord to bring my identity and value? Or in these cases do I let the flesh determine who I am? Do I respond in anger, put them in their place, tell everyone around me who I really am and that they are making it all up? That is an easy place to start, as our flesh knows that strategy, they learned it well from the sin nature. Yet according to Paul our sin nature died with Christ. So why should that be my response?
The point is, any response to these “triggers” or temptations that is outside of complete surrender to the Lord is sin. That’s right I said it, S…I…N. Jesus modeled how to respond to these, just as he modeled abiding in the Lord. “He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7. Jesus went to the Sanhedrin and was called everything under the Roman and Jewish sun, yet he allowed the Father to defend his name. Can we?
To abide is to surrender our circumstances to Him. To do that we build faith in his response. We find hope in his word. We learn how to respond through it as well. Follow Jesus’ path. Let the Lord fight your battle. Shame disappears, sorrow disappears, and regret falls off.
