The Blessings of Combat
One of the greatest things about a daily quiet time
with the Lord is that over time you can get a general feeling of where He is
leading you and what He is teaching you. God has been leading me as
such:
This morning I came across an amazing verse tucked away in Judges: "Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war..." (Judges 3:1-2). Typically, we find it hard to stomach that God would test us or even lead us into hardship. We prefer the idea of an abundantly generous God, who meets our every need and desire like a cosmic vending machine (often when we find out that this is NOT who He is, we get frustrated and reject Him, leaving us in a worse position than before). However, our God is far too loving to coddle us needlessly. He prefers, in almost every instance, our growth over our comfort: And He loves us so much He purposefully puts us in uncomfortable positions so that we will grow. Forty years in the desert was tough, but Israel grew. No ministry was a tough thing for Elijah to swallow, but God took him through it (1 Kings 19). And, somehow, we even reconcile the fact that the Holy Spirit Himself led our Savior into the desert for the very purpose of being tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12). And this same God purposefully allowed pagans to remain in the Promised Land so that "the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war."
Why? Because conflict in God's mind brings growth, resolve, fortitude, conviction, and zeal. I find myself extremely blessed to face this conflict because I know I should "consider it pure joy when [I] encounter various trials" (James 1:2) because it brings about growth, holiness, and Christlikeness. But there is something more at work than just hardship in combat. God says "Your God has commanded your strength" (Ps 68:28, NASB), and part of being like Him is fighting like Him, being strong like Him, and embracing conflict like Him. Jesus says, "Do you suppose that I have come to bring peace on earth? I tell you no, but rather division" (Luke 12:51). When God assigned the Savior the mission to divide the Earth, He didn't shrink for the immense conflict. Instead, He embraced. He, like the Israelites, needed to understand war. His strength was "commanded:" If we are going to be like Him, we have to learn to embrace conflict (not needlessly), and employ all of our strength. I consider myself very blessed that God has seen fit to teach me war and to develop my capacity to employ my strength as He commands.
Is there a conflict in your life that you are shirking? Is there a relationship that needs to be mended? Is there an issue that needs to be addressed? Do you have a confession? Maybe you just need to straighten up get into the fight, and learn warfare (spiritual or otherwise). I encourage you to pray along these lines.
This morning I came across an amazing verse tucked away in Judges: "Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war..." (Judges 3:1-2). Typically, we find it hard to stomach that God would test us or even lead us into hardship. We prefer the idea of an abundantly generous God, who meets our every need and desire like a cosmic vending machine (often when we find out that this is NOT who He is, we get frustrated and reject Him, leaving us in a worse position than before). However, our God is far too loving to coddle us needlessly. He prefers, in almost every instance, our growth over our comfort: And He loves us so much He purposefully puts us in uncomfortable positions so that we will grow. Forty years in the desert was tough, but Israel grew. No ministry was a tough thing for Elijah to swallow, but God took him through it (1 Kings 19). And, somehow, we even reconcile the fact that the Holy Spirit Himself led our Savior into the desert for the very purpose of being tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12). And this same God purposefully allowed pagans to remain in the Promised Land so that "the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war."
Why? Because conflict in God's mind brings growth, resolve, fortitude, conviction, and zeal. I find myself extremely blessed to face this conflict because I know I should "consider it pure joy when [I] encounter various trials" (James 1:2) because it brings about growth, holiness, and Christlikeness. But there is something more at work than just hardship in combat. God says "Your God has commanded your strength" (Ps 68:28, NASB), and part of being like Him is fighting like Him, being strong like Him, and embracing conflict like Him. Jesus says, "Do you suppose that I have come to bring peace on earth? I tell you no, but rather division" (Luke 12:51). When God assigned the Savior the mission to divide the Earth, He didn't shrink for the immense conflict. Instead, He embraced. He, like the Israelites, needed to understand war. His strength was "commanded:" If we are going to be like Him, we have to learn to embrace conflict (not needlessly), and employ all of our strength. I consider myself very blessed that God has seen fit to teach me war and to develop my capacity to employ my strength as He commands.
Is there a conflict in your life that you are shirking? Is there a relationship that needs to be mended? Is there an issue that needs to be addressed? Do you have a confession? Maybe you just need to straighten up get into the fight, and learn warfare (spiritual or otherwise). I encourage you to pray along these lines.