1, 2, 3, 4...God Come Help Me Fight This War!

Have you ever been through a life battle and felt helpless? Have you ever felt alone while you feel things warring around you? Have you ever cried out to God and wondered where He was? Do you sometimes feel like you have lost your joy? If you have, you are not alone. These are common feelings. Even though you can’t see Him, God is with you in those times. Here's a peak into ways He is there and how we can cheer Him on to find our joy in those hard situations.

Please note: I hate war. I hate movies of war, guns, killing. Even though I call myself a "prayer warrior", have a journal I call “The Battle Plans,” and go to my "war room" (closet) to ask God for wisdom, in real life I am the least confrontational person.

This is me pouring out my heart to God one day:

“God, I am not a warrior. I am tired at being at war. I read of David who keeps looking for the next battle. People sang of him, ‘Saul killed the thousands but David the ten thousands.’ War is not my thing, LORD. I hate confrontation. I hate this. I want to scatter, run away and the enemy knows this. The armor is too heavy! I hate living in a world of hate. Where is my joy, LORD?”

The LORD answers, “You are never supposed to fight the LORD’s battles. You give it to me, my darling. You come and tell me, the King. When someone’s picking on you...someone’s picking on your children, your family, come to Me and I’ll take care of it. You watch me.

“Some battles are fierce and take a long time, but when you bring it to me—I’m on it! I am YOUR King—the Battle Fighter—bigger than David. TRUST ME!”

When I hear His words, I am so full of encouragement, but then with time, it fades. It’s amazing how good I feel in His presence, but then I get into real life, and it goes out the window. Do you ever feel like that? So I ask Him, “Why is Your Word so good for a minute then vanishes in my next thought?”

“Because, my darling, you are focusing on the fight and not on Me. You are looking at the enemy. I am bigger than the enemy. My timing is PERFECT. I see things you can’t see. I know things you don’t know. TRUST ME!”

Still unsure, I press Him more. “I see the battle and I get so angry. It stirs up so much anger, sorrow, depression, defeat. It robs me my joy. I can’t stop looking, LORD, I can’t turn my head. I’m like Lot’s wife, I can’t help but look. Help me LORD, to see Your hand. If I could only see You at work and know my part. Do I cheer? Yell? Scream? Oh, joy, I want you back!”

The Lord answers, “Resist the devil and he will flee. Yes, scream! But only scream at him...and fight! But only on your knees. And yes! Cheer! Cheer for Me!”

He showed me we cheer in our praise---actively shouting out what He CAN do, TRUTH, and VICTORY. He IS winning even if we can’t see it. He has a play we have not heard of or can’t see coming. He might be waiting for an ambush with knowledge we do not have.

Sing His praises and cheer Him on, like the cheer below...

In the Bible, God uses actual battles to help us understand how He works in spiritual battles. So many places in the Bible God tell us He will fight for us. For example, in 2 Chronicles 20:15-28, when King Jehoshaphat is faced with war, he cries out to the Lord in front of the people, reminding God of who He is and what He has done. Then the prophet, Jahaziel, came out and told him, “Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’" Then we read how it plays out:

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

And then the joy returned, “Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.”

I don’t know what battle you are fighting, beloved, but if it has got your heart, you’ve got God’s ear. Bring it to Him. Trusting Him when the battle is not over is a hard process. I know. I have been there. But God loves you, your children, your family, your friends, even more than you do. He is a God who sees. He is patient in the fight. He may be setting ambushes you don’t know about. When thoughts are rampant in your head and you start to question if the Lord even hears you, know His timing is perfect. He is waiting on things you cannot see or know. Cheer Him on. Sing His praise. Remind yourself of who He is and what He has done and can do.

“Defense! Block that devil!” “F-I-G-H-T Fight, fight, Jesus, fight!” “Go, Jesus, Go! We know You can do it!”

Really, you can make many chant work by putting in God, Jesus, or Christians, like this classic:

How easy is it to cheer on our teams and forget we can cheer on our LORD! We can have joy in the fight when we remember what side we are on. Cheering also gets out that pent up energy. Ask God to help you find other believers to be cheerleaders with you. Life is so much more fun and rewarding when you share it with others in Christ. BONUS...cheers are so much LOUDER when others are shouting with you!

Holy Father, forgive me that I tend to bring my battles to You, then take them back and fight on my own until I am exhausted. Help me to leave my battles at Your Throne. Your army is so much more powerful than me, fighting alone. Help me to remember when I come to You, You listen to me as your daughter, not some peasant or foreigner (although You love them, too). So as your daughter, I come to You, the most powerful entity in the world, and I put my fears, worries, concerns, stressors, enemies before You. I am telling You my heart, dear LORD. Listen to my heart as a good father. I come with tears of frustration and exhaustion. Slay my adversaries or bring them to You. You do what is best. You know the situation and things I can’t see. But I cheer for You. Because You are powerful. You are the Great I AM. May the enemy scatter in your presence. Restore my JOY as I cheer You on with all heart. Morning by morning, I cheer You on and sing your praise. May you have all the Glory, Honor and Blessings, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

What is your favorite cheer? Try it with the Lord and see if it fits. Ask the Lord to create a new cheer in you. A new song. A new heart and eyes to see Him fight for you. He is there, beloved. He is there.

I'd be happy to talk about your battles with you or anything else you need some help with to make your life better. Book a session today.