October 2 -- "The Battle Belongs to the Lord"

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 17:31-58

"The Battle Belongs to the Lord"

“♫ In heavenly armour, we’ll enter the land. The battle belongs to the Lord.

No weapon that’s fashioned against us shall stand.  The battle belongs to the Lord.

We sing, glory and honor, power and strength to the Lord.

The power of darkness comes in like a flood. The battle belongs to the Lord.

He’s raised up a standard, the power of His blood.  The battle belongs to the Lord.

We sing, glory and honor, power and strength to the Lord.

When your enemy presses in hard, do not fear. The battle belongs to the Lord.

Take courage my friend, your redemption is near. The battle belongs to the Lord.

We sing, glory and honor, power and strength to the Lord.

The battle belongs to the Lord.♫" *

These are the lyrics of a great worship song written some forty-plus years ago.  In these lyrics, the writer expresses the same sentiment as David in today’s passage.  Confronted by a strong enemy, Goliath, the mighty warrior of the Philistines, David defiantly tells him that “the Lord will give you into our hand.”  David wasn’t being boastful or arrogant with these words.  He wasn’t expressing confidence in his own abilities or the abilities of the Israelite armies. No, he was expressing his total confidence in the Lord.

David recognized the awesome truth that, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). To put this truth another way, with God on our side like this, how can we lose? The reality is that the battle always belongs to the Lord.  We must always remember this truth and whenever we face darkness, fear, temptation, or attacks, it is imperative that we look to the God who is for us and sing, “glory and honor, power and strength to the Lord.” 

Don’t defy your enemies in your humanity. Don’t rely on your own strength or resources to battle life’s battles. Instead, look confidently to Him and recognize that the battle belongs to the Lord.

 * © Maranatha! Music