The Fighter’s Zeal

Read: Isaiah 63:1-5

It is I, the LORD, announcing your salvation! It is I, the LORD, who has the power to save! Isaiah 63:1

IN WORD

God is often perceived as emotionless. After all, if He created all things and is sovereign over them, He has no need to get angry or jealous, or to celebrate as though He’s surprised about a good turn of events. He’s always calm and dignified in our minds, never rousing Himself to battle. And while that perception is very religiously embraced, it isn’t accurate. It isn’t how God portrays Himself in Scripture.

No, God strides forward in strength, loudly proclaiming His righteous agenda, His royal robes stained in blood from the battles He fights. Isaiah’s rhetorical question, “Who is this in royal robes, marching in his great strength?” (63:1), comes on the heels of God’s emphatic, global announcement of the mission of the Savior (62:11), and it’s answered decisively by the Lord Himself: It is He, the I Am, the One who gets mad at evil and counters it with truth and righteousness, the One whose overwhelming power is mighty to save. This is no dispassionate God.

If we really understand the passions of God, it changes the way we live. We aren’t afraid to ask Him to confront the evil we see and to give us the courage and power to confront it with Him. We don’t have to add “if it’s Your will” to prayers that we know to be entirely consistent with His will. While the world wonders why God remains so distant and passive, we recognize Him as the last warrior standing, blood-stained from battle. We know the power of His sword and how precisely it cuts down lies and wickedness. We follow His lead and approach the kingdom of darkness with zeal and a holy agenda.

IN DEED

Most Christians walk through life feeling beat up. Get close to the heart of God, however, and that feeling has to vanish. Our God is a God of action. He does not remain silent when we invite Him to rouse Himself to intervene in our battles. He doesn’t get pushed around by the adversary. Knowing that the mighty Warrior is on our side gives us the freedom to feel and act victorious. And it gives us the faith to see the victory come.

ADDITIONAL READING: Psalm 24:7-8

Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.

MARTIN LUTHER