I Chronicles 5:20
....They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayers because they trusted in Him.
Battles....
Warfare.....
The dark place of the heart and soul....
Forces of evil come against you and batter you until you have no strength left.
Those seemingly soothing voices whisper soft and low..."Give in....you know you want to."
"Give up...you can't win, and besides, you don't really want to win, do you?"
Spiritual conflict.....
This is the truth for the life of all who are followers of Jesus.
You have an enemy (the devil.....Yes! Virginia, there is a devil) who seeks to destroy you.
To stop you from believing.
To discourage you and create such doubt and fear within that you simply give up.
Two things I truly like about the verse above.
1.) They cried out to God......
a.) It wasn't a mental exercise. It wasn't something they simply thought about, it was a reality. It was a voice that wells up from within and explodes into the heavens. Very simple....prayers go up...answers come down. You know....what goes up must come down.
b.) The said "Crying out" took place during the battle. IT is at the point of realization that you, in your own strength, cunning intellect, and ability cannot win, that you cry out to God. Truth be known, the crying out part should take place before the battle actually begins, but sometimes we find ourselves caught up in a spiritual conflict before we even realize that is what is taking place. No matter.....Cry out to God!!!
2.) The Trust factor:
a.) God answered their prayers because they trusted Him. The literally believed that God was who He claimed to be and would do what He claimed He would do. Trust........cling to..........rely on........believe in......they trusted God and He answered their prayers. We read the truth about this relationship with Jesus we have been called to in John 15:5
"Yes, I am THE vine and are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing.
Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit living in me......Me allowing the Holy Spirit to not only work on my character, but actually instruct me in my daily decision making is the key. Jesus goes on to say...."Apart from me you can do nothing."
You can't get more clearer than that, can you? I think not.
Do my prayers echo my trust in God?
Or are they simply desperate cries to get His attention and hope that He intervenes in my "battle?" I want to trust him more with each passing day and the only way this is going to happen is to trust him with my life. My heart knows that He is trustworthy, but my head tells me different..."What if God doesn't come through this time? What if he leaves you high and dry?"
That is why Proverbs 3:5-6 is so important to me:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight.
This is life changing truth. It takes our focus off of our own ability and intellect and places it solely on Jesus. All part of learning to follow Him and not our own way, desires and talents.
Think on these things....
God on you.....
mbb
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