Sunday, June 2, 2013

In our battles...Aslan is on the move

                          A little food for weekend thought:

     "Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers."  J. Sidlow Baxter
     "It was not apathy or passiveness.  For him [Dietrich Bonhoeffer], prayer was a display of the strongest possible activity." (Eric Metaxes, Bonhoeffer)
     "Our God is Jehovah of Hosts, who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to aid His people.  Believe that He is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as clouds before the gale."  (F.B. Meyer)
     "Whom have I in heaven but You?  And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Ps.73:25-26)
     Right now we are preparing for our Baccalaureate service for Broughton High School, and goodness gracious, you cannot imagine all the obstacles that continue to be thrown up before us and our speaker, William Kane.  I won't go into it all, but suffice it to say, the enemy has persistently thrown opposition our way from messed up programs to traffic and parking woes due to an Iron Man event to our powerful speaker who struggles with a very difficult long-term health battle and even to his precious sick child up all night last night.
     But I must say, by yesterday afternoon we finally began to laugh at satan's antics.  I know the evil one is never funny in the least, and he is a deadly foe... but at a certain point, you think, "Okay, well, just bring it on!  You're not taking on little own piddly me or my buddies.  Nope, you're taking on Almighty God on this one, and the God of angel armies, the Jehovah of Hosts, the Alpha and Omega, He is our Shield and Protector and Defender.  And He must win the battle. We will place our trust in Him and watch what He will do."
     And that is exactly what we are doing--praying to and trusting in the One who has all the power, all the answers, all the knowledge, all the strength and waiting expectantly to see what He will do this afternoon, beginning at 4 p.m.
     "This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.'" (2 Chron.20:15)
      I write all this not just to attest to our faith and hope in the Lord for this service today.  After all, this is just one little skirmish in the midst of eternity's long, protracted war between the forces of good and evil.  No, I write this for all who are facing seemingly unrelenting opposition or obstacles in their own lives right now.
     Can I just remind you, the battle is not yours, but God's?
     As Scotty Smith says, "When I'm afraid of events in world history--when it seems like evil and terror will triumph--let me hear the laughter of heaven.  Let me see Your installed King, the Lord Jesus.  Show me the occupied throne of heaven, and it will shut up my fears." (Ps.2)  When I'm under attack by the seducer, accuser, and condemner of the brethren, once again let me see Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.  He is my wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption (I Cor.1:30-31)  My boast is in Jesus, not in anything in me."
       So whatever battles you, or your loved one, might be facing today, take heart!  God is on the throne.  As the great old Martin Luther hymn says, "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our Helper He amidst the flood of mortal ills prevailing.  For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.  Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing.  Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing.  Dost ask who that may be?  Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Saboath, His Name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle."
     Thank You, Father, that Christ Jesus is the One who fights our battles. And He must win the battle. Fight for us, this day, we pray, and give us hearts to trust, eyes to see, and lips to rejoice in Your victory.  And however You choose to work and move this day, we praise You and thank You in advance.
     Remember in the midst of your battles, it might seem like the darkest, depths of wintertime, but God is working...  and "Aslan is on the move."
     To God be the glory.

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