Today's Scripture Reading (January 4, 2022): Deuteronomy 3
On September 4, 2020, Phil Wickham released his song "Battle Belongs" from his yet-to-be-released album "Hymn of Heaven." In the song, Wickham sings:
When all I see is the battle,
You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain,
You see the mountain moved
As I walk through the shadows
Your love surrounds me
There's nothing to fear now
For
I am safe with You
The song draws its inspiration from a story in 2
Chronicles 20. In the tale, King Jehoshaphat was alarmed because a vast army
was approaching from the direction of Edom. Jehoshaphat didn't know what to do. But the message that he received
from God was clear. "This is not your battle, Jehoshaphat. It is mine."
You will not have to fight this
battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance
the Lord will
give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out
to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you (2
Chronicles 20:17).
So, Jehoshaphat did something unusual. He sent out his
army with the men singing their praises to God at the front of the men who marched out to defend
the nation. It was a visual recognition that when Jehoshaphat and all of Israel saw the battle, God had already seen the victory.
But that wasn't the first time that God had told his people that the battle belonged to him. As Moses
prepares Israel to enter the land, he stresses that the conflicts that lay ahead of the nation in their new home won't be theirs. The battle belonged to God. So, don't be afraid; God will be
the one who will fight the battle
The battle belonged to God as Israel prepared to
enter the Promised Land, and the battle belonged to God when Jehoshaphat was
confronted by an army coming out of Edom. Nothing has changed. Whatever the struggle that might lie in front of you this week, don't be afraid. You can stand tall and face tomorrow
knowing that, regardless of what happens, the God of Moses and
Jehoshaphat is standing right beside you; the battle still belongs to him.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 4
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