Psalm 44:1-3 (NIV): We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
When God brought the Israelites into the Promised Land, they did not any way win the land because of their strength, their cleverness, or their strategies. Ironically, the naysayers, the ones who declared “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are” (Numbers 13:31) were right! The people of the land were very strong and well-armed, and their cities were nearly impregnable; there was no way that Israel could beat them with their lack of weapons and battle practice. But that was precisely the point. GOD’S plan was not to have them fight in their own strength and skill, but for Him to fight THROUGH them to win the victory. They had to do their part: they still had to swing the sword and charge the walls; they had to listen to and obey God’s plan; they had to get involved. But if they would do it God’s way, in God’s strength, the victory over their enemies was a sure thing, a foregone conclusion.
It’s exactly the same today. God has called His people, commanded them, to conquer the world. And week after week we sit in our churches, hearing God’s call, and we look at the world, and we look at each other, and we say, “We can’t conquer the world! It’s too big; it’s too broken; there aren’t nearly enough of us; we don’t have enough skills; and a lot of people in the world don’t WANT to be conquered!” And so we gather in our churches, a people defeated before a battle is even fought. All of our concerns are true, but totally irrelevant. God is not calling us because we are strong and skillful, or even because the other side is actually weaker than they appear to be. He is calling us because the battle must be fought if God’s plan is to succeed. And we, the Christians, are God’s army. God really can work through us to save people and change the world, but we, His people, have to get involved. We have to swing the sword, God’s word, absorbing it into our hearts and then delivering it with all of the power and passion that God’s soul-filling Spirit can deliver. We have to charge the walls, going into the world, purposefully associating with “tax collectors and sinners,” and fearlessly declaring, “Repent! The kingdom of God is here!” We must consistently and completely listen to and obey God’s marching orders, not turning aside to the right or the left, no dumbing down God’s word or trying to make it palatable for the lost. Only when we work can God work through us, and only when we rely on Him can we be victorious. The thing we must NOT do is to sit and tell each other why we can’t fight, why we can’t win, and think that that is okay with God! It didn’t work out well for Israel (see Numbers 14:20-23), and it won’t work out any better for the Church!
Father, forgive our inaction. Forgive our fear and timidity. Help us all to see how vital this is, not only to us, but to Your whole Church, Your whole plan, the whole world. Help us to fight for the souls of people, for the wholeness of Your world, and help us to win in Your power. Amen!