“LORD, you are my secret hiding place, protecting me from these troubles, surrounding me with songs of deliverance” (Ps. 32:7) TPT
Our nation is in a spiritual battle unlike any we have ever seen in our lifetime. A steady dose of negative and often inaccurate media is affecting all of society, even the church. When we receive a mixture of information, day after day, prognostication after prognostication, we will begin to experience a wound in our souls, serious enough to diminish our faith.
Many of us are facing serious situations. Financial problems, negative medical diagnosis and family issues all take a demanding toll on our souls. Some of us have been so affected by the current situation in the country, that we feel severely challenged and, to some degree, weakened. I am writing today to encourage our faith. I know firsthand what it is like to face every challenge I listed. Through faith and patience the LORD has never ceased to lead me to the other side. He wants to do the same for us all.
MOSES AND THE BATTLE
Our great God is the God of Battles. When the children of Israel were facing the Red Sea with no hope of survival, the Lord spoke through Moses and said, “The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exod. 14:14).
Moses directed the people to NOT FEAR, but to STAND STILL, (Exod. 14:13) leaving all circumstances with the LORD Himself and expecting Him to move. In this situation, they could not save themselves by fighting against the enemy. They could only wait for the directions of God to be manifest by Him. The LORD promised that He would fight for them, and the people were to hold their peace. Peace in this sentence is not the Hebrew word “shalom,” but rather the word “charash,” meaning to be quiet, speechless, and to not devise one’s own plan.
HEZEKIAH AND THE BATTLE
Sennacherib, the King of Assyria came into Judah to control the people and take them for himself. “And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men…” (II Chron. 32:2-3). When Hezekiah knew that there was a battle against his people, he strengthened himself, built up all of the wall that was broken, set captains of war over the people and gathered them together before him in the street and spoke comfortably to them.
My purpose in this letter is to gather you together to give you hope. Hezekiah rose and spoke these words, “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to FIGHT our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah” (II Chron. 32:7-8).
THE BATTLE, THE HIDING PLACE AND YOU
Please receive the sweet words of the Psalmist David, who declares of the LORD, “You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah” (Ps. 32:7). Again and again, the LORD has been showing us at Olive Tree Connections that we are to bring forth high praises unto Him. He is then able to bind demonic kings. (Ps. 149:6-9). Because David entered into the hiding place, he understood that the LORD was the one to preserve him from his trouble. He then could declare the Word of the LORD, “I WILL instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye” (Ps. 32:8). This is also a promise to us.
Many of us who do not know which way to turn or how to proceed in our midst of battle, please, may we trust His Word. Our God is the God of the battle. He knows we cannot devise a plan in our own strength. He knows what is surrounding us. We are men and women of the Spirit of God. We shall not fear the arm of the flesh because God is with us RIGHT NOW to FIGHT our battles for us.
Enter into His REST today.
