Fight Hard for the Victory

“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” 2 Chronicles 20:22 NIV

In a story published by the San Francisco Standard yesterday, 34-year-old Aundraya Himmler was asked how it felt to finish dead last in the San Francisco Marathon to which she replied, “It’s beautiful.” She went on to explain that three years ago, she was unable to walk up the city steps as a tourist. “When I came out to San Francisco for a visit in August 2021, I realized I was extremely unhealthy and had to do something about it,” she said. “My body hurt, and I was only, like, 30. So that was a wake-up call for me.” So it didn’t matter that she ended the race more than an hour past the official cutoff time. Simply finishing the event marked a hard-fought victory. “It was still hard,” she said after ambling across the finish line. “My ankles were twisting and turning, so I had to fight through the physical pain. But I feel good.”

And, you know, when it comes to hard-fought victories, the Bible gives us the story of the Moabites and Ammonites who came to wage war against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. At the king’s urging, the people began to fast and pray and to seek help from the Lord. Further waging war against the enemy, Jehoshaphat and the people then recalled God’s faithfulness before falling down in worship. Then, the next day, “as they began to sing and praise,” the Lord himself began to fight on his people’s behalf by confusing their enemies so much that they turned on each other until they had completely annihilated one another. But God wasn’t done yet! These armies, who had looted several other nations before coming up against Judah, had brought all their plunder with them Upon their defeat, Judah collected all the spoils and had even more reason to praise God!

So, as believers let us trust that God will help us win victory over Satan and sin my friend, but let us never forget that we have a part to play in the war as well. Through fervent prayer and heart-felt praise, we are a formidable army on the front lines of the battle and we have to fight hard.  

Heavenly Father, help us to remember that we must always be ready for the attacks of the enemy by being prayed up, trained up, and having surrounded ourselves with fellow believers that are ready for spiritual battle as well. Lord help us to fight against and be victorious over the evil in this world, so that we would bring glory to your Name. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!