God’s Odd Battle Plans: Trusting God in All Things by Jennifer Deibelಮಾದರಿ

Day 5

Be Still and Let God Fight

This moment is one of my most favorite in all of Scripture. When I read Judges 7:15-23, it plays out in my mind like a movie—the enemy army is so confused they start fighting each other and eventually flee in terror. And the good guys never even have to step onto the battlefield. I don’t think even Marvel could come up with something better.

And just as we discussed a few days ago, no one could credit anyone but God for such a decisive—and ridiculous—victory. I can almost picture God watching from His throne, chuckling at the whole scene, delighting in taking care of His children as only He can.

The victory was sweet, and times were good for Gideon and his men. For a while. And I think that’s a lesson we often don’t want to remember—victory in one battle does not mean there won’t be any more battles.

If you read the rest of the book of Judges, you’ll see there were plenty more battles for the Israelites. We see that throughout the entire Bible, in fact. And not just for the Israelites but for all those who follow Christ. Sometimes they’re literal battles and other times figurative, but they’re battles nonetheless. And with each one, we must decide how we are going to approach it.

Our friends Owen McCready and Saoirse Fagan had to learn the same thing in Heart of the Glen.

Once at the church, John draped an arm over Owen’s shoulder. “I know just what we need.”

Owen looked at the man. “What’s that?”

His arm still around Owen, John began walking toward the church. The rest of the crowd followed suit and filed silently inside the house of worship. No lanterns blazed, and no organ music filled the air. Rather, the mournful shuffling of exhausted feet served as their processional as one by one, each family filed into their customary rows. All was quiet for a long while until Hugh began singing.

“Rop tú mo Baile . . .” His full, tenor voice filled the sanctuary. Slowly, voices began to join him as people rose to their feet.

By the third verse, Owen had joined in. “Be Thou my battle shield, sword for the fight.” But when he got to the next stanza, tears choked him. Sinking to his knees, he let the lyrics wash over him as tears silently poured down his cheeks.

Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;

Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:

Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,

May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Owen began to see that he had been keeping all his focus on his hardships, not on his source of strength. Digging through the rubble of the landslide today . . . painted all too clear a picture that not one person is guaranteed tomorrow. The only guarantee is that one day our time on this earth will end, and we will stand before our Creator. So, we’d better make the best use of the time we have. Kneeling now in this sanctuary, with the sounds of worship and praise echoing around him in the wake of such a disaster, it started to become clear what Owen needed to do.

Since God was the only constant, the only guarantee in life, Owen’s energy was best spent in worship and praise of Him, in believing He would do what He promised. Owen lifted his face to the cross hanging at the front of the room. He may never have an easy life. He might not finish the tweed. He might not fully use his hand again. He might lose his farm. But if any of those things happened, it would not be because God caused them but rather because He, in His infinite wisdom, allowed them.

Pulling in a deep breath, Owen slowly rose to stand, his eyes still fixed on the cross. “I believe,” he whispered. “Please help me believe.”

Not a week later, Owen faced yet another terrifying battle when a villager goes missing.

And when the hymn had turned out to be the same song they’d sung last week, Owen could only laugh. Barely a sennight had passed since he’d made that fresh commitment to let God be the vision and focus of his life. And here he was, already honing back in on the doubts and worries rather than on the One who could guide him through them.

Poor Owen. And yet . . . I see so much of myself in him! This faith journey is a marathon, not a sprint. In fact, it’s more like a marathon steeplechase with all the barriers, obstacles, and hurdles we encounter.

But if we learn anything from Owen, Saoirse, and Gideon, it’s that we were not meant to traverse this path alone. We need the strength of those around us, and the strength of His Spirit guiding us, in order to do and become all He’s laid out for us. He has plans—good plans. Plans for our ultimate good, victory, and His glory. And there are times when those plans make absolutely no sense. They may seem downright stupid, and it can be easy for us to question Him, doubt His ways, or think we heard Him wrong. That’s why it’s so imperative to draw as close to Him as we can and remain there. For the closer we are to Him, the more His ways become natural to us. And it’s only through that relationship with Him that we can share His love with others and experience true victory in every aspect of our lives. That victory won’t always look like we expect it to. And I, for one, thank God for it!

Pray: Where do you need to see victory in your life? Have you placed your faith fully in God? If not, take some time and do so now, telling Him you trust Him for your ultimate and eternal good. If you have, spend some time in His presence today, listening closely for what He wants to say to you through His Word and Spirit.

Note: My biggest prayer is that these five days together have done nothing but draw you closer to our Father and whet your appetite for more of His Word. However, if you’d like to see more about Owen and Saoirse’s story, you can find out what happens in Heart of the Glen, which is available at Heart of the Glen - Baker Book House and in paperback, ebook, and audiobook wherever books are sold.