Warrior

Yesterday on my way to church I was listening to an old Caedmon's Call CD (A Call to Worship, check it out. The music is dated but God's praises are never out of style), and one of the songs says: The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is mighty in battle. I pondered that characteristic of the Lord for a good 20 minutes until I got to church and forgot about it.

Later last night, I watched the The Bible show that has recently aired on the History Channel. It was the first episode which starts in the beginning of the Old Testament, and I followed along in the Bible just to be sure I wasn't watching a bunch of crap. I only got through Abraham sending Hagar and Ishmael away before I went to bed. Inspired by the Old Testament, I just really wanted to read about David. I've always liked David's story, because it is truly encouraging how poorly he made decisions yet how highly God regarded him. But for whatever reason the Spirit in me just had the strongest desire to read specifically about David before I went to sleep. So I grabbed my bible and opened to 1 Samuel, quickly getting to the story with Goliath. I read through it and a little passage reminded me about what I had been thinking about earlier in the morning.

1 Samuel 17:45-47
David said to the Phillistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Phillistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of  the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands.

I just smiled after I read that, because I delight in God as a warrior. I love that the battle is the Lord's. I love that I serve a God so victorious in all He does. I love that His victories proclaim "there is God in Israel." It fills me with so much joy to think about the battles we see on Earth, and to know they are already conquered! Sex trafficking- conquered. Children who live in poverty and without parents- conquered. Communist countries who hate Jesus and persecute accordingly- guess what? The body of Christ is already there spreading His name; they can't keep us out. Conquered! Satan and the demons, conquered! And of course, the most important victory of all- Christ's victory over sin. The victory that allows me to share in God's endless victories forever. I am just so overjoyed.

I've always wanted to be a woman after God's own heart, like David. But now I also desire to live a life that proclaims "there is a God, the battles are His, and He is going to win." May God's victories in my life make is so.