“For many fell, because the war was of God. And they lived in their place until the exile.”
1 Chronicles 5:22 ESV
The people cried out to God and He heard them. He answered. Scripture says He granted their urgent plea because they trusted Him. The plan was set in their hearts but the Lord had gone before them.
Verse 22 is critical to understanding the characteristics of God. The war was of God. It was His battle to fight, and He would be the One to do the heavy lifting. The role of the people was trust. Essentially, it was faith. But many times, we believe the battle is on our shoulders. We think that we’re the main characters in the story when really it’s all about Him.
How are we to go to war today? Scripture commands us to make war on the flesh. We are told to commit ourselves to God while resisting the devil and he will flee (Jam 4:7). First commit (trust), then resist. The word resist is not a passive word. It’s a call to offensive warfare.
Jesus has gone ahead of us. He not only declared the war was His, but He sealed the eternal victory. Now, just as before, we must place our trust in the One who has already won.
Look, we all get sidetracked with trying to win the war ourselves. The enemy would love to convince us that victory is dependent upon our own strength. He would love to burden us with the weight of responsibilities that we cannot control. The war is of the Lord. The question is, do you trust Him?