WEDNESDAY: The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Reading:

Psalm 35:1-10 

“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!” Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away! Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction! Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation. All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

Devotional:

This is the very psalm the Continental Congress prayed in 1774 when surrounded by British forces. They cried out, "Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me!" They understood spiritual warfare—that our struggle isn't against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of darkness. The colonists didn't rely on their military might; they had no navy and untrained farmers. They relied on God, and He delivered them miraculously.

Today, you face battles too—cultural pressure, moral compromise, spiritual apathy. You have three options: sit back, fight in your own strength, or rise up depending on God. Only the third option works.

Reflection:

What battle are you facing today?

Response:

Surrender it to the Lord. Pray with the same desperation as our founders.  Remember that the God of Abraham and the God of the American Revolution are the same God that we serve today. 

Song of the Day:

Phil Wickham - Battle Belongs (Official Lyric Video)