Trials come our way on a daily basis. Whether big or small we are affected by each
of them. Trials shape us into the people
we become but we choose which path we will follow and whether we will leave
room for the Lord to fight for us.
Over the past couple of years, I really had to
dive deep into this lesson. All
throughout scripture, we can read about a mighty God who has fought for His
people. How His people have beaten the
odds when the odds were not in their favor.
We read about how the day was saved because people had faith in God.
That is where it all begins. Faith.
As we were getting ready for bed a few nights ago,
my husband picked up his bible and began reading a passage to me from 1 Samuel
17,
David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me
with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of
Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today
the Lord will
conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give
the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world
will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And
everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues
his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s
battle, and he will give you to us!”
This passage has become quite significant to me over the past few years. Back in 2007, I began praying a specific
prayer. I had already dealt with many
years of pain and abuse. I had concluded
that the life I was living would be mine until the end and so I began praying
that God give me the faith of Abraham. I
prayed that God would teach me in whatever way He could that I would trust Him whole-heartedly
in all things. My circumstances were not
going to change and so I needed a faith that allowed me to live with my
circumstances and trust God’s goodness.
I did not know what I was asking for at the time and truly, I was not
prepared for the hard road that was set before me, but God knew. He knew I had spent years praying for a
person. I spent years and years of tears
and prayers that I felt went unheard. My
faith was being tested. My circumstances
began to change.
Over
the next few years, God showed me that we are not robots. He gives us free will to choose where we want
to go, whom we want to follow and how we choose to treat others. My prayers had not been ignored. God heard everyone of them but the person
being prayed for made their own choices. Things crumbled and fell apart. The
battle began.
I
spent several years wrestling with God.
I could not understand how He could allow the bad things that were
happening in my life to happen. Why was
He not protecting my children and me?
Why were the walls falling down upon us?
We were being crushed. Or so I
thought.
God’s timing is perfect. His plan is sovereign. He sees the beginning all the way to the end and all things have happened according to what will ultimately bring Him glory. I knew God was/is fighting for me. I knew that He wanted His best for my children and me but I was trying to hold on too tightly to my circumstances. I was afraid to let go. My faith was weak and I was scared. I remember reading the words from 1 Samuel back in 2010 and thinking, I want what David had. I want to know that my God has already won the battle so that I can have the confidence to endure the fight. Oh, the prayers we pray. God will most assuredly give us what we ask for but we had better be certain that we know what we are asking for because following Christ is not always easy.
It is December 27, 2012 and I have learned that in order for God to have my battle, I have to place it in His hands. I have to trust Him to fight for me. I cannot question my circumstances but instead trust that He is working all things, all events, and all circumstances for His good so that His name will be honored in the end. God ultimately will have the victory but that victory will not come until we give over to Him all of our troubles and doubts. As long as we keep wrestling with Him, the outcome of our story will not end. We will continue to live in a constant state of turmoil where our lives are controlled by doubt and uncertainty.
I am confident that 2013 is going to be a very different year for my family and me. We have held fast to truth. We have worked toward being what God has called us to be even when others would try to shoot us down. God is up to something incredible in my life and has already begun an amazing work. Now it is time to sit back and know with confidence that…
“You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
This is the Lord’s
battle, and he will give you to us!”
1 Samuel 17:45,47b
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