THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS: HOW TO LET GOD FIGHT FOR YOU

Are you fighting something today? Maybe it is an emotional, physical, relational, or spiritual battle. Are you weary, discouraged, and in danger of giving up the fight? Do you know that the battle is not yours alone? Learn how to let go and let God fight your battles.

THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS MEANING

If you have been a Christian a long time or hang around in Christian circles, you might have heard the familiar phrase: “The battle is the Lord’s!” It is a phrase we like to use to encourage fellow believers struggling with doubt, hurting over a loss, or facing an overwhelming obstacle.

Well-meaning people have said it to me, and I have been guilty of casually saying this to others in difficult circumstances. However, from personal experience, I realize these words can fall short of bringing hope and encouragement if we do not know where they come from or what they mean.

When we say, “Let God fight your battles,” what we are trying to remind others (and even ourselves!) is that:

• God is bigger than any problem you face.
• You can trust God with anything.
• God loves you enough to fight for you.

And those truths we desperately need to hear when we arbattlingle, right?

However, when we say, “The battle is not yours,” we also need to recognize that we need to let go and surrender the fight to God. This means:

• God will usually not fight the battle the way we would.
• God’s timing and techniques often will not make sense to us.
• God will ask us to be still and wait even though everything in us might want to engage.

HOW GOD FIGHTS THE BATTLE FOR THE ISRAELITES

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when the Israelites fled Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. Do you remember that story?

God had told Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let his people go. Pharaoh refuses, so God sends plagues. Pharaoh continues to enslave the Israelites until the last plague takes the life of his son. He finally relents, so the Israelites pack all their belongings and begin to run.   But almost immediately after releasing the people, Pharaoh has second thoughts and sends his chariots and armies to recapture them.

It is a tense situation for the people when they reach the Red Sea, knowing that Pharaoh and his men are closing in quickly. They look to Moses for help, wondering how God will rescue them now. And here is what Moses says:

EXODUS 14:13-14

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV)

The Egyptian arming is coming fast and furious on horses with weapons drawn, and the Red Sea is just ahead, raging and impassable…I think the last thing I would think of doing would be standing still! These people risked everything for their freedom. And now Moses was asking them to stop and be still?

I would be preparing to fight, run, or swim. Anything but stand still.

I think reading other translations of this verse only enlarges our understanding:

• The King James Version reads, “hold your peace.”
• The New Living Translation says, “just stay calm.”
• The English Standard Version reads, “be silent.”
• And The Message uses the strongest language, “keep your mouths shut.”

Here is how the dictionary defines the word still:

Motionless, unmoving, deep silence and calm, subdued, free from disturbance or commotion.

THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU

Not exactly the words one would use for battle, right?

Maybe I would be so scared that I would be rendered motionless but quiet? I think it would be hard to stifle the screams that would naturally arise out of my mouth.

Yet, that is exactly what Moses told the Israelites to do:

STAND FIRM AND BE STILL.

And most of us know how this story ends: God parts the Red Sea and enables them to escape the Egyptians by walking through on dry land. Truly amazing! He delivered them completely, and all they had to do was stand firm and be still, just like He said. And this was just the beginning of the history of God fighting battles on behalf of his people.

HOW THE LORD FIGHTS FOR KING JEHOSHAPHAT & HIS PEOPLE

Another great story of God fighting for his people happens over five hundred years later while King Jehoshaphat was the ruler of Judah. The Moody Bible Commentary sets up the story for us:

The invasion of the forces of Moab, Ammon, and Meunites…was itself unexpected and a shock to the nation…They were a formidable force, a great multitude. This surprise attack found Jehoshaphat with little time for preparation and vulnerable, so the king was afraid.

The Moody Bible Commentary, p. 612

But instead of doing what most kings would do in this situation, consult their generals, develop a battle plan, and assemble their fighting forces, King Jehoshaphat turned to the Lord, calling on all the people to fast and seek God’s face:

O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!  O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name.  They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.

And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them.  Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 

O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.

2 Chronicles 20: 3-12 (NLT)

THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT THE LORD’S

God responded to the king’s sincere prayer and the nation’s faith with a word from the Lord through the prophet Jahaziel:

 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.  But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

2 Chronicles 20: 15-17 (NLT)

We cannot miss these crucial words ( I am paraphrasing from The Message translation):

This is God’s war, not yours.

You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm.

Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.”

Does this speak to you like it does to me?

Are you facing a battle right now?

Do you feel like the armies are closing in, and there is a raging sea up ahead?

I feel like I have been in some battles of my own over the last few months. And my natural tendency is to fight…especially when those battles involve people I love and want to defend. I also want to run…when things get too difficult. Standing still is not something that comes naturally to me. Neither does being quiet. Fight or flight is often my involuntary response to crisis.

But God keeps whispering in my ear:

“Be still.”

“Stand firm.”

“Hold your peace.”

“I’ve got this one.”

“Trust me.”

THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BIBLE VERSES

While I hope and pray that these two stories from the Old Testament encourage you to let God fight your battles, there are other places in Scripture we can turn to when we are weary of fighting and ready to surrender the situation to God.

Here are my top go-to Bible verses when you need to remind yourself of the truth that the battle is not yours but the Lord’s.

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.

Deuteronomy 20:4 (ESV)

And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us! 1 Samuel 17:47 ESV

1 Samuel 17:47 (NLT)

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Psalm 34:7 ESV

Psalm 34:7 (ESV)

Do your best, prepare for the worst—then trust God to bring victory.

Proverbs 21:31 (MSG)

But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed.
You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you.
These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord;
their vindication will come from me.
 I, the Lord, have spoken!

Isaiah 54:17 (NLT)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 (NIV)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ESV

Romans 8:31 (ESV)

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 (NLT)

WHY GOD WANTS YOU TO REMEMBER THAT THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT HIS

Can we trust to let God fight our battles His way? Although our instinct may be to engage with force or run and hide in fear, God often calls us to a very different battle position. Like with the Israelites fleeing Egypt and King Jehoshaphat facing enemy armies, He tells us to be still. He asks us to trust Him to fight our battles and watch and wait for victory in His way and timing.

I do not know what enemies you may be facing today, nor do I know how God is going to fight this battle for you. But I can tell with confidence, based on the truth of God’s Word, that the battle is not yours alone.

LET’S LEARN TO LET GOD FIGHT OUR BATTLES TOGETHER

When we are in the midst of any battle, we need each other more than ever. I want you to know that there is a place for you here AT THE CROSSROADS.

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If this post spoke to you in any way, would you mind leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, or even letting a friend know? It would be encouraging to hear from others who need to be reminded that the battle is not ours but God’s, amen?