Have you ever found yourself facing a problem that’s too big for you? Maybe a serious illness that you have to become completely reliant on doctors to diagnose and God to heal has left you facing something bigger than you. Perhaps the unexpected end of a marriage seems like a battle that’s entirely too large for your own personal scope of expertise. Family problems, financial issues, and any other number of problems can leave us feeling like we’re far too small to tackle something so large.
Fortunately for us, when the battle is too big for us, it’s the perfect size for God. His Word is full of examples of Him promising to fight for us. You don’t even have to go past the Book of Deuteronomy to find multiple examples.
Deuteronomy 1:30 (ESV)
The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.
Deuteronomy 3:22 (ESV)
You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.
Deuteronomy 20:4 (ESV)
For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.
God has promised countless times to fight for His people. We just have to figure out what to do during the process.
Trust His Promises
Joshua 10:8 (ESV)
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”
Joshua chapter 10 tells a story about God fighting for His people when they were faced with a battle that was entirely too large for them. In fact, by the time Joshua led the people of Israel to Gibeon to help their allies, there were five armies that had come together to destroy them. This fight wasn’t even going to be fair. Was there any way for Joshua and Israel to team up with the people of Gibeon to defeat five armies as large as the ones who had joined forces? Of course, if God fought for them.
Undoubtedly, Joshua knew that the odds were against him. However, a promise from God completely changes the odds in any situation. God didn’t mince any words when He spoke to Joshua. He gave Joshua a command and a promise: don’t be afraid of them, I have given them into your hands.
God made it perfectly clear that He was going to fight on behalf of His people. All Joshua had to do was trust God’s promise.
Prepare to Advance
Joshua 10:9 (ESV)
So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal.
Remember, God gave Joshua a command before He gave him a promise. It’s not that our actions dictate God’s willingness to bless us, but there are times where He expects obedience in order to activate a blessing. Think of it as the classic case of cause and effect. In order for God to fight the battle on behalf of His people, His people had to at least attend the battle.
The trip to the battlefield wasn’t a short one. In fact, Biblical historians teach us that there was roughly 25 miles between where Joshua was when he received the promise from God and the place where the battle was set to unfold. In addition to the 25-mile journey to the battlefield, there was a 4,000 foot climb up the side of a mountain.
Remember how we discussed the concept of cause and effect? There are times where you have to advance in the battle that’s too big for you armed only with a promise from God. Joshua didn’t have a specific battle strategy, however he committed himself and his troops to advancing.
Perhaps Joshua just had to think back to the events of Joshua chapter 6. That chapter tells a story where God told Joshua to lead the people around the walls of Jericho 13 times in the course of seven days before God caused the walls to fall flat so they could overthrow the city.
If you’re facing a battle that is too big for you, spend some time encouraging yourself through remembering times in your life where God has proven Himself faithful for you. When you remind yourself of His faithfulness, you will find the strength you need to advance in the battle armed with nothing but His promise to you.
Trust in His Timing
Joshua 10:12-13 (ESV)
At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still in Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
God had already destroyed a large portion of the enemy troops, but the day was quickly coming to an end. Keep in mind, the battles we read about in the Old Testament essentially had to be fought during daylight hours. There was no means of artificial light, so unless you wanted to storm an enemy troop with a torch, you had to fight while the sun was out.
With the sun quickly setting, Joshua asked for something completely unreasonable. He needed God to make the sun stand still so the day could last longer. What’s even more remarkable is the fact that God heard Joshua’s request and granted it to him! The day literally became longer so Israel could finish the battle that God was fighting for them.
One of the most difficult parts about trusting God to fight your battles for you is to trust completely in His timing. As humans, we have an innate need for control. If it seems like something is taking too long, we automatically look for a way to make it happen faster. However, when God is fighting your battle, He is fully aware of what time it is.
What if Joshua and the Israelites had panicked in the face of the setting sun? What if they had decided to take matters into their own hands because God was taking longer than they thought He should? The results would have been catastrophic. Even though God had already eliminated some of the enemy troops, Israel was still outnumbered. Instead of trying to take matters into his own hands, Joshua decided to continue trusting God.
If you’ve entrusted the battle before you to God, trust His timing. It’s always perfect.
Through God’s supernatural provision, Joshua and the rest of the Israelites were able to finish the battle in front of them. The best part of the whole thing? They didn’t really have to do anything. Even the troops that they killed, they did so through the supernatural power of God in their lives.
The battle that you’re facing may seem too big for you. In a world that preaches the false gospel of self-reliance, we often recoil at the idea of acknowledging that something is too hard for us. However, as God’s people, we can rest in the promise that our admission that we can’t do something serves as an invitation for our Heavenly Father to fight the battle for us.
A Closing Prayer:
God, I can’t do this. The battle that is in front of me is simply too big, too hard and too scary for me to tackle on my own. I know that my own strength simply isn’t enough to get this done. I turn it over to You. Your Word is full of promises to fight for Your people, and I’m standing on those promises today. I will trust You with the battle, I will advance based on Your promises, and I will fully submit myself to Your perfect timing. In Christ’s name I ask these things, Amen.