Stand Firm

Bible Reading

• 2 Chronicles 19-20
• Psalm 94
• 2 Thessalonians 2

From this passage, what Spiritual Gift has God given for me to thank Him and praise Him for in worship today? (Rom 1:11)

2 Chron 20:12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty horde that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

Ps 94:17-19 Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Do you see yourself as weak? Do you see yourself as needy? I am not accustomed to being weak and needy. I have always tried to be the strong one in my family. I am often the one trying to help hold everything together. But with everything going on with my family right now, I am learning that it’s OK to be weak and needy because it is causing me to go to the Lord a lot more!

David and Jehoshaphat knew what it was to be weak and needy. In 2 Chronicles 20:12 Jehoshaphat found himself up against a vast horde and he knew he was powerless. What did it cause him to do? “We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

David often found himself in need of help. Psalm 94 is just one example. In David’s experience, when doubts filled his mind, he found comfort from God’s unfailing love and it gave him renewed hope and joy. (Ps 94:18-19) 

These times of weakness and neediness can be a tremendous gift. Instead of being discouraged and fearful, may they cause us to throw ourselves more intently on the Lord!

What encouraged me in my faith? (Rom 1:12)

2 Chron 20:17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory.

2 Chron 20:20 “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Ps 94:17-19 Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

David said, “I cried out, “I am slipping!” (Ps 94:17) Asaph said something similar in Psalm 73:2 “As for me, I almost lost my footing…” This reminds me of a sermon I heard recently that talked about the armour of God and the role a good pair of combat boots had for a soldier. The reason you need a good pair of combat boots in battle is to insure you don’t loose your footing in the battle and therefore drop your weapon, or miss the shot. It’s interesting that Paul actually lists 3 pieces of armor that enable us to “stand firm.” Paul lists, truth as a belt, righteousness as the kevlar, and the gospel as shoes. (Eph 6:14-15)

How is the gospel our combat boots ensuring solid footing? The gospel conquers sin. The gospel brings peace from God’s discipline. When I am walking around with my kevlar of Christ’s righteousness and my feet secured with the gospel, the darts of the enemy won’t push me back, they will only bounce of my Kevlar and fall to the ground!  

In David’s experience, when doubts filled his mind, he found comfort from God’s unfailing love and it gave him great comfort and renewed his hope and joy. (Ps 94:18-19) Lord, when those darts of the enemy come, help us not to stand firm in truth, righteousness and the gospel preached to ourselves.

What spiritual fruit does God want to work in me? What can I share with others that God can use to produce fruit among them also? (Rom 1:13)

2 Chron 20:21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the troops, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”

2 Thess 2:15-17 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

Why are we fighting a battle that has already been won? Why do we sit in fear and anxiousness when God has everything under his control? I love what Jehoshaphat does next. They went out for battle, singing to the Lord. And as they sang, the Lord caused their enemies to fight among themselves and destroyed themselves!  

I have a little notebook that I write down verses that stand out to me from my reading, that I want to remember. As I wrote the above, I realized I need to be reading the verses I wrote down. When I feel the arrows of the enemy shooting at me, I need to get out these verses and read them. Another great way to be reminded of truth is to sing or listen to good worship music (like Jehoshaphat did). 

What are some verses you can write down that you could go back and read to help you stand firm when you are facing the battle? What are some worship songs you can sing or listen to that will put your focus back on the Lord?