“Your victory isn’t going to come through trusting in your swords and spears. For the battle is the Lord’s. He will take care of the enemy. Trust him.” (Paraphrase of 1Sam.17:47)
This is what the Lord says to you: “Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle isn’t yours, the battle belongs to God.” (2Chron.20:15)
“Who are you, O great mountain? You shall soon become a level plain. And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘Grace, grace!’ to it”—for God deserves all the credit and praise. (Paraphrase of Zech.4:6)
Lord Jesus, in the conflicts and crucibles of life, you don’t call us to be either disengaged pacifists or fearful self-deliverers. You call us to be fully engaged worshipers, loving and trusting you with the outcome—doing the next “Gospel thing” until deliverance comes. And when you do bring deliverance—in, through, or from the “mess”—our shout should always be, “Grace! Grace!” For the battle, us, and the victory belong to you, Jesus.
Whether it’s a mere dustup, another broken relational story, or an all-out assault of evil—you “claim dibs.” Fear and panic aren’t the order of the day, faith and trust are. When it seems like wrong and ugly, evil and terror are winning—let us see heaven’s occupied throne (Rev.4:1-2), and hear the laughter of heaven (Psalm 2).
When family matters, work dynamics, or church stuff gets “dicey,” crazy, or worse—keep bringing us back to the Gospel expressing itself in trust and “faith expressing itself in love.” We can’t always makes things better, but we can easily make things worse. You tell us to “call down grace,” not fire—to wait on you, not wait for a chance to get even. Help us Jesus. Help us. So Very Amen.