We have just rehearsed in Passion Week the final steps of Jesus leading to the Cross and then the victory over sin and death as He arose on the third day. John the Baptist went before Jesus declaring “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1: 29) This truth is confirmed in Revelation 13:8 identifying Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. Paul made it clear in 2 Corinthians 5: 21 that “God made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” In eternity past God knew that mankind would reject Him in disobedience and His plan for redemption and victory was already in place as God fights for us! The words of Isaiah 55: 8-9 reveal “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” God reminds us over and over in scripture that His plan is unfolding even when we don’t see or understand it. When we are tempted to rely on our own solutions, we need to recall the power of the resurrection of Christ that lives in us and the faithfulness of our God. God will make a way when there seems to be no way. God assured Joshua in 23: 10-11 “The LORD your God, He Himself is fighting for you, this day. For your own sake, therefore, be most mindful to love the LORD your God.” And in Deuteronomy 20: 4 we read “For the LORD your God is the One who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you.” Today as we look around and see the forces of evil on every hand, let us take courage that God is still fighting for His People and He is in total control! The words of Charles Spurgeon encourages us, “We look down into the abyss of error, and it almost makes our head swim to think of the perilous descent; but the road of the Gospel, to which we hope to keep by divine grace, is a safe and happy way.”
We must never forget that our Sovereign, Omniscient God limits the length and intensity of the battle. Though He sees His children’s difficult circumstances, He loves us enough to allow it because a beautiful harvest of growth and purpose will be revealed when we embrace God’s Road for us and apply the lessons we learn from His Word. God is training us in steadiness. We live in a world of sight and sound and many distractions, but we must not be a slave to those stimuli. We must beware of false flags and fake news. The world has been rigged to distract us and keep us in the dark. In the midst of all we face, we must continually be aware of God’s faithfulness and His plan. We must not allow unexpected events to throw us off course as God is with us and will not forsake us. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians points us to God’s glorious power working in us that: “the God of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, our glorious Father, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in knowing Him. I pray that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the richness of His glorious inheritance in the saints and what is His exceedingly great power toward us who keep trusting Him—in keeping with the working of His mighty strength.” (1: 17-18) “Knowing God enables us, as believers to display strength in times of stress and take action when the rest of the world seems to be immobile.” (Kay Arthur)
Every day we wake up and observe another revelation of corruption and evil being exposed. We must not despair and fall into fear. The words of Isaiah 59 describe the dilemma that we face today. He begins with the reminder that the LORD’s hand is not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear. He focuses on the root of the problem—iniquities have made a separation between us and our God. As more and more truth is revealed, we realize the depth of the evil as hands are defiled with blood and fingers with iniquity. Lies have been spoken and presented as truth which expose the wickedness of the source. He speaks of unjust lawsuits and those who do not plead honestly but trust in confusion and lies. There are those who conceive mischief upon those who oppose them, even resulting in violence and shedding of innocent blood. There is no justice and righteousness does not reach them—justice is turned back. They search for light and truth but whoever shuns evil becomes prey. Indeed, this is a paradigm of our current status in our nation. God saw it all and was displeased that there was no justice, but He was more displeased that there was no one who was interceding! We take courage in our God who fights for us! “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” (19) When we are faced with overwhelming challenges or attacks, God will provide a banner of rallying point for defense and support! God’s weapons of victory are found in verses 17-19: His breastplate of righteousness; His helmet of salvation; His robes of vengeance as a cloak! He will reveal His glory from the rising of the sun and He will come like a rushing stream driven along by the Spirit of the Lord! God will come to the aid of His people, offering us a way to resist and overcome the enemy’s attacks! It is a promise of Divine intervention and protection! We must trust in God’s strength and protection during difficult times and the promise of God’s active involvement in the lives of His followers—providing a standard or banner of faith to hold onto during trials. It is a call to action for believers to stand firm in our faith and to seek God’s help as our ultimate Protector and Redeemer!
Not only is God our Standard and Banner of protection, He is our Shield. Psalm 47 is a celebration of God’s Reign. Verses 3-4 says “For the LORD Most High is awesome, a great King over all the earth. He subdues peoples under us, and nations under our feet.” Then we read in verses 9-10 that God reigns over the nations; He sits upon His holy throne; the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted! In scripture Shields are spoken of in various ways. It is used in defensive warfare. In 1 Kings 11: 17 King Solomon made 200 full body shields of beaten gold. In Psalms 84: 10, 12-13 it is used in regard to earthly leaders as the defenders of His people. “O God, look at our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed…For the LORD GOD is a sun and a shield. The LORD gives grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. The LORD OF HOSTS, blessed is the one who trust in You.” In Psalms 33: 20-22 we read “Our soul waits for the LORD—He is our help and our shield. Our heart rejoices in Him, because we trusted in His Holy Name. Let Your lovingkindness, LORD, be upon us, as we have waited for You.” God then is our ultimate source of protection and security for those who trust in Him. According to Isaiah 21: 5-6 the command is given to rise up and anoint the shields with oil in order to be watchmen. This was to preserve them and at the same time make the missiles of the enemy glide off them more easily.
In the Isaiah 59 passage God put on His breastplate of righteousness and His helmet of salvation and in the Isaiah 21 passage watchman are to use the shield to preserve them from the missiles of the enemy. This points us to Ephesians 6: 10-17 and the instructions for believers to put on the Armor of God. It is clear to us that we are in a spiritual battle and God commands believers to put on His Armor so that we will be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power so that we can stand against our spiritual battles against evil forces. It includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Every day we are to put on the whole Armor of God upon ourselves and our family so that we are vigilant and equipped with Divine protection. Each piece of the armor represents a specific aspect of Christian faith and practice, such as truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and God’s Word.
Paul, encourages us further in Romans 8: 31 that God fights for us! “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And then in verses 37-39 he further affirms the Believer’s assurance in God—we are more that conquerors through Him who loved us over death and life, over angels and principalities, over the present or future, over powers or anything created! NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS! God’s power, support and love are greater than any oppositions we might face. GOD FIGHTS FOR US AND GOD’S SUPPORT FOR US IS UNSHAKEABLE!
Dr. Stanley offers these words of assurance: “When we face off against the mighty, we need the Lord to help us. If we want to win, we will get on our knees in prayer. The secret to success remains the same throughout the Bible: the presence of God. When He is with us—or more accurately, when we are with Him—success naturally follows.” We are to put on God’s Armor and take up the Shield of Faith. It is a walk of faith, not one of fear, doubt, or worry. God wants us to draw near to Him and He promises to draw near to us. James 4:8 gives us the pattern: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!” Drawing near to God involves seeking Him in prayer, in His Word and in worship and it requires a sincere heart—a humble and seeking heart. This involves cleansing our hands from sin and purifying our hearts, which means turning away from sinful behaviors and thoughts. It also involves resisting the devil and submitting to God. Then we can experience His presence, hear His instruction and encouragement and find truth. It will lead to a deeper understanding of His love and compassion and have the Blessed Assurance that God fights for us—His Spirit is in us—Jesus is interceding for us!
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.” (Psalms 46: 1-2)