Yahweh is a warrior! Yahweh is his name. Exodus 15:3
The NIV says:
The Lord goes into battle. The Lord is his name.
What vision has the Lord given? Is it aligned with his word? Are there oppositions and obstacles?
If so, know that we serve a warrior God.
The Lord said to me that the way to rise higher than the opposition and circumstances is to 'remember the Lord'. Lord when rendered as Adonai (Adoni) means 'Master' - the one in Charge.
Jesus is the manifestation of the Father - the Almighty God - and he is right now seated on his throne in heaven. He is the lamb, but not just any lamb; he is the lamb on the THRONE i.e. fully in authority!
Jesus is Lord!
He also is the lion of the tribe of Judah. God is the Lord our Banner: Yahweh-Nissi. That means he is the emblem that we fly on our flag, i.e. the one who goes to war ahead of us. The battle in the old testament was against men but in the new testament, the weapons we war with are not of this world but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)
The Lord told me we are not to fight in our own strength. He already has won the victory - our job is to stand in that victory.
"For the one who has once entered His rest has also rested from [the weariness and pain of] his [human] labours, just as God rested from [those labours uniquely] His own." Hebrews 4:10
Obviously this is not referring to being lazy, but as Jesus followers, we can get so accustomed to doing what we call 'spiritual warfare' not realising that often times the most spectacular battles in the old testament were not fought by the people of God. They were won by God himself. While he loves to work with and through humans, He is still the sovereign Lord! That is why he says to us as he said to Zerubbabel: ":Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty."
In 1 Samuel, the ark of the Lord which represented the presence of God was captured in battle by the Philistines. It was permitted by the Lord as part judgement to the people of Israel. The next chapter shows how our God is able to take care of things himself - even without his human agents! There was no one there with God to 'protect' (like we sometimes act) his interests or 'pray him into action' . This is not to undermine the powerful place of prayer. However, when the ark was put in the temple of the idol of the Philistines, the idol kept falling on it's face before the ark of the Lord till it's head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. And,...
"The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors. When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.”"
The plan the Philistines devised to return the ark after 7 months, was even more revealing of God's ability to work even through the reasonings of his foes, (Read chapter 6).
And the miracle of God directing the cows carrying the ark "straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; not turn(ing) to the right or to the left." (Vs12.) shows just how God, so to speak, delivered himself, restoring his own reputation and honour in the eyes of the Philistines and all the world.
Jesus can take care of you, Himself and his Church. Rest in the Lord and do good. He is in control of everything and though as members of his body, he loves to have us as his co-labourers, let us not be anxious. As we obey and trust his word, we will see him work powerfully in every circumstance.
As my sister would say, 'work (hard) from a position of rest.'
Shalom.
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