He Trains My Hands for War

Earlier this week I was praying for my children and asking the Lord to cut off the enemy from them.  There’s nothing wrong with this prayer, but on this particular day I felt the Holy Spirit leading me in a different direction.  I began to ask the Lord to teach them to recognize and reject the enemy’s schemes against them.  I also began to pray for Him to reveal His strategies to them for standing against the attacks that were coming their way.  I think the Lord is showing me that it is time for them to start learning some spiritual self-defense.  Sometimes the Lord steps in and fights for us.  I love those times!  Then there are those occasions where He trains our hands for war and tells us to get in there and kick butt!  

When I was pregnant with my fourth child, I began listening to a voice telling me that something would be wrong with this child. Rather than kicking this thought to the curb, I allowed it to settle into my heart.  I even began to worry that the baby might die.  This went on for months until I was getting close to my due date.  I was so tired of the anxiety that had been tormenting me for so long, I did what I should have done from the start - I went to the Lord about it.  As I prayed, He showed me a mental picture of a wimpy little demon no bigger than a mosquito.  This was what had been causing me so much grief?  I felt like such a chump for letting this whiny little insect tie me up with fear and rob me of the joy of anticipating a new life.  All I had to do was quit listening to the lie and embrace the truth!  Did I have assurance that all would be perfect?  No, but I did have a certainty that my Father God was taking care of me and this child, and that was enough to give me peace. 

There are certain roles in life that I know I was never meant to play. I know for a fact that being a nurse or doctor is out for me.  My daughter recently had to have a few stitches and I’m still traumatized!  I also have zero dramatic ability. I find it hard enough just to be myself, much less someone else!  However there is one role we are all called to play in the Body of Christ and that is soldier.  We all have a mandate to put on the armor of God and take our stand against the enemy the Apostle Paul calls “spiritual forces of evil.”  (See Ephesians 6:10-20 if you need an update on this.)  The best part is our Father in Heaven equips us to fight and He trains us to win!     

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make Your saving help my shield, and Your right hand sustains me.  Psalm 18:32-35