What’s in a name? Everything! (3)

“Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring.” Exodus 14:13 NIV

Let’s look again at Jehovah-Nissi: the Lord my banner. It isn’t easy to hand our battles over and let God fight for us. We feel like we’re copping out or being irresponsible. Popular thinking says, “Don’t just sit there, do something!” We’re like the drowning man who can’t stop grasping at his rescuer. We imagine they need our help, and as a result we end up making their job almost impossible. The truth is—we become their worst nightmare! But just because God fights for us doesn’t mean we’re not involved. The hardest part about the order—“stand still and watch the deliverance of the Lord”—is that we mistake standing still for doing nothing or being derelict in our duty. Fear says, “Just do something!” Faith says, “Stand in faith. Let God do it!” That’s about as far from doing nothing as you can get. It’s faith at its highest. So how come we need spiritual armour if we don’t do the fighting? Good question! Paul said, “Put on the full armor of God, so…you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11 NIV). Notice: you wear His armour—not yours. You’re to stand—not fight. “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NAS). Human methods get in God’s way; natural abilities are useless against spiritual forces. The grub of the dragonfly at the bottom of the pond may be a well-developed, vigorous grub. But once it becomes a dragonfly, the strengths of its grub-life won’t help it to live an airborne life. Whereas we once trusted in our own human effort, now we trust only in Jehovah-Nissi.

Bible in a year: Jeremiah 30-31 and 2 Timothy 1