Life has sure felt like a battle lately. Has it for you?
I don’t mean the blockbuster-movie kind. The kind where tall heroes stand in line, while raspy baritone voices shout the battle cry “Charge!” and grandiose orchestral music crescendos them on toward victory.
No, I mean the other kind.
The kind from the foxhole. The kind where soldiers sit in mud on wooden crates of mice-infested rations. The kind where darkness is tangible. The kind where the enemy has attacked over and over and gained ground. The kind where exhaustion has become an exasperating friend.
The battle that lingers.
If you find yourself in this kind of battle today, let me encourage you with these verses:
“The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you…” (Deuteronomy 1:30).
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14, NIV).
“You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22).
“For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory” (Deuteronomy 20:4).
You see, the Lord knew we would fight many battles in this life. He knew the Israelites would fight battles too, which is why He reminded them over and over that He Himself would fight on their behalf. He would be with them. He would be for them. He would never leave them on their own.
Life may seem hard right now, but you are not without hope. Life may be difficult, but you can still cling to this truth: The God who sees all and knows all walks beside you with His palms up. The battle is His, after all. So, let it be His today. Let Him carry the load. Then go and rest awhile in His all-consuming grace.