A Mighty Fortress is Our God

In 2 Samuel, there is a list of the Mighty Men that battled with and for King David.  Their names are listed along with their deeds of great bravery and strength.  These men are remembered for their fierce loyalty to their king, their unimaginable tenacity in the fiercest battles.  One man "wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time".  Another battled the Philistines "until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword".  The other Israelites had fled the battle, this man stayed with his king and battled until he couldn't even let go of his sword, his hand was frozen in its grip. Incidents like these are listed throughout chapter 23.  These were incredibly brave and loyal warriors who fought to the bitter end, to victory for their king.  Their names are listed in the Scriptures to be remembered always.  They were heroes.  


What does that have to do with us in our 21st century world?  We can read the Old Testament for its history and lessons of the faith; but we also read it to understand spiritual truths for us, for the ways it points us to Jesus.  The battle we engage in as Christians may not look like hand-to-hand combat as in the days of King David, but our enemy is no less real and no less ruthless.  Our battles are no less demanding.  While we may not have battle scars that are visible or as a result of sword fights, we may suffer the scars of spiritual fatigue, depression, anxiety, stress or despair.  Those scars, while not necessarily of a physical nature, certainly take a toll on our physical bodies. King David's Mighty Men were willing to draw a line in the sand, so to speak, signifying that here is where we stand, here is where we fight.  


Are we willing to make a stand like that?  In Ephesians 6, Paul describes our weapons and protection for the battle in terms of armor, swords, shields, etc. all the while knowing that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."  The battle is real and it is costly.  I'm sure King David's warriors were exhausted - physically and emotionally spent after such incredible battles - but they were completely sold out to their king.  They lived to fight with and for their leader, to take a stand.  Paul exhorts us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Four times in that passage are we told to stand firm.  We are not left to our own devices in the battle against our enemy but we must be watchful and alert:   Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  (1 Peter 5:8)


On a personal note, I have been engaged in a very difficult battle - a difficult, personal, painful situation that has left me battle-weary.  My "line in the sand" is to stand on God's word, to stand firm on what I believe to be true.  That is my battlefield and has been at the root of my current struggle. I went to bed last night feeling as if I could barely breathe from the stress of the situation and woke up this morning feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of me. I awoke this morning to a new day, a new energy, a new strength. During the night, while I slept, my ever-present Lord was ministering, restoring, freeing me and strengthening me.  This morning during my quiet time as I pondered this "renewal", I read Psalm 46.  It was one of my scheduled readings today, a "coincidence".  This is the verse that leaped off the page for me:  verse 5 -- God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.  


If you are engaged in your own battle, feeling alone and cut off from God, know that his word is true, his promises are sure.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  God is [your] refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  (Psalm 46:1)  His eyes are always on his children; he's aware of your struggles, your pain, your weariness.  He will never leave you to limp through on your own - he IS your strength and your shield, your light and your guide.


If God is for us, who can be against us?  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
(from Romans 8)