Present to Win

03.12.13

Deuteronomy 20.1 1“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. (ESV)

I have always read this chapter and appreciated the heart in which it was written. I appreciate the fact that if war happens, then God makes allowance for the ones who’ve just got married, or just build a house, or had a baby or something along those lines. But today I thought something different: The Lord your God is with you.

The important thing to remember in this chapter is the Lord your God is with you. The battle is the battle but the outcome depends on who trusts in the Lord and accepts His presence on the battlefield. And if God is with you, then go, have a marriage, go, have a baby; go, build a house and enjoy it with your wife and family. The implication here is simply: you’ll be missed on the battlefield, but you won’t be needed because the Lord your God is with us… we’re going to prevail.

Prevailing in life has little to do with me, and mostly to do with God. Yes, I have to be present to win, but it has only to do with my faith in Him that I am a winner. In those days battles were very physical and there was mostly only hand-to-hand combat – battles were not much more than  huge street brawls and the toughest guys won. That is until God. The scope of the battle didn’t change much, there would be the rushing of opponents toward one another but the outcome would be weighted by the presence of God. The team on God’s side won – always. Of course the opposite was true: the team not on God’s side lost – always.

The bottom line is this: it isn’t about winning and losing, it’s about God. I have a friend who is dying from a terminal disease – he’s decided to go with God. If you’re gonna go, go with God. I suspect there’s been more than once he’s thought about his life and maybe faced a regret or two – but he’s going to go with God. His wife and kids have decided to go that way as well.

He’s going to die on the exact day he’s supposed to, at the exact time, and when he does his life on earth will have ended; but his life in eternity will have only just begun. I too have a terminal disease: it’s called being human and I too am going to die: on the exact day, at the exact time. Living and dying only means something when we live and die with God; apart from that it’s tragedy, fate, karma, whatever you want to call it; but only life and death with God means anything at all.

No matter the outcome, whoever lives or dies with God has already won because he (or she) stood with God; and with God: When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt – you’ve already won!

Father, the battle is already won, but I still have a life to live to tell others about it. Help me to do that today, and to relax and enjoy Your company, all along the way! Amen!