Whose Battle?
I was 10 years old and my father had been without a full-time job for months. I am the oldest of five children and we were out of food. My parents were very new to the idea of truly trusting God in all things, but they knew they needed to pray. They had no other choice. Their question was, “Do we invite the children to pray with us? What if we ask God for food and He doesn’t answer?”
In the end, they called us into their room. They explained what was happening and that we had no food. We needed to ask God because He said He would provide. So my parents, my seven-year-old brother, my 4-year-old sister, my two-year-old sister, and I knelt by their bed (my youngest sister was an infant)… and we prayed. There was no beauty in this, no religious language… just simple, raw need.
While we prayed, there was a knock at the door. My father went to the door and there stood our neighbor from across the street, holding two large bags of groceries. He managed a Food Lion bakery and my mother had taught him some cake decorating things and he just “happened” to choose this moment to bring us groceries as a "Thank You." I cannot tell you how much this impacted my life. God listens to the most basic details of our lives and fights for us.
The Battle Belongs to You!
Phil Wickham shares about writing this song:
One of my favorite stories in all of scripture comes from 2 Chronicles 20. It’s a story of this huge army that is amassed to come against the people of God. And when the people of God and their king, Jehoshaphat hear this horde coming their way, they freak out. They literally come to God and say, ‘We are powerless against this army but our eyes are on you, God. Show us what to do.’ And God responds to them. His spirit comes upon this Levite man and through the Levite man, God says, ‘Do not be afraid or dismayed for the battle is not yours, but it is God’s. You will not have to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.’ So much so that instead of sending their army into the front lines, they sent their worshippers into the front lines. The holy men in their robes started singing give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love endures forever. And you know what happened to the other army as they heard the singing? They freaked out. They were routed. They started turning on each other to the point where the scriptures say not one of them was left alive. God moved on behalf of His people and God is still moving and battling on behalf of His people.
Prayer is the primary weapon we have against the enemy, and singing is just lyrical prayer. When we pray, whether with words or songs, we enter the throne room of the King of kings and the Lord of lords and call on Him to act. This doesn’t mean that the battle is won in a way that we expect. Sometimes God defeats the enemy in ways that make no sense to us… but He does win. So, be on your guard, stand firm, be courageous, be strong, and do EVERYTHING in love.
In His bonds,
Josh+
Won’t Stop Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7AC3u3yidA
Battle Belongs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=johgSkNj3-A
What a Beautiful Name
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5L6QlAH3L4
Worthy of It All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIGV3ms_9eM
…and we are learning:
Come Alive