Fighting Your Battles

This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!

1 Samuel 17:47

I envy David’s confidence portrayed in this verse. He was facing a giant named Goliath, ready to fight him to the death with a few stones flung from a slingshot and plenty of big faith. David was able to fight confidently because he knew who was ultimately going to win his battle—the Lord! It wasn’t little “d” fighting big “g.” It was big G—God—fighting “little” Goliath.

Like me, you are probably fighting some personal battles. We can fight with faith, too, because our battles also belong to the Lord!

Faith assures us that Christ is beside us. He knows every detail about all the circumstances we’re up against. Even in the darkest moments, we are not alone. Our comrade, Jesus Christ, is with us. He knows His victory is sure, and He guards us with His life. He camouflages us from being an unguarded target for the enemy. This knowledge about our great Warrior is our confidence to keep moving forward in life’s battles.

During my mastectomy when I was under anesthesia, I was literally in the dark, hoping for a reconstructed breast when I woke up. When I awakened, I learned that both surgeons had made a judgment call and delayed reconstruction so my chemotherapy and radiation treatments would not be slowed down. When I saw myself in the mirror for the first time, I said to Mark, “Now I know why they call cancer a battle.” I felt like a wounded soldier must feel when he or she is sent home from war.

But then God helped me see something: my battle with cancer was really His battle, not mine. I belonged to Him, and He would fight for me. God was doing an important reconstruction on my heart then, and thankfully, He continues to reconstruct me inside and out to this day.

We all know the feeling of being in the dark, unable to see something but believing it is there. Moving forward in the dark certainly requires faith. This faith fuels our hope when we faithful believers in Christ are in dark, painful places. We always need faith; we always need God.

Be encouraged that the battle is not ours but the Lord’s! Read 1 Timothy 6:12 to get your ongoing marching orders.