Fighting the Right Battles
For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord. (I Samuel 25:28)
Read: I Sam. 25:1-44; Ps. 40:2; Isa. 54:14; Col. 2:6; II Thess. 2:17
What Is God Saying?
This is a touching story of love pitted against evil and winning. Abigail was the wife of Nabal. His name means fool and he lived up (or down) to his name. David came to him with overtures of peace. Playing the fool, Nabal answered the goodwill gesture with defiance and caused David to answer him with the threat of force. This would have accomplished little for David except the immediate and brief satisfaction of revenge. It was the wrong battle for the wrong reasons. Then Abigail made her way secretly to David, hoping to appease his inevitable anger and prevent him from doing something he would later regret. Going through with his plan would cause only suffering to all concerned. She persuaded David that the kind of getting even that he was planning was beneath his dignity. The strength of her character, and the plausibility of her argument all impressed David. He said, ‘You are right. Praise the Lord. Your good judgment has kept me from engaging in this petty skirmish. It would have done no good and much harm. May you be blessed for your good judgment.’
As it turned out, Nabal's life was to be gone within hours. God fought the battle in the right way and at the right time. Only Nabal, the fool, was taken and David was spared the needless cost of a quick and pointless revenge. There is a tender sequel to this happily aborted vendetta. Abigail became David's wife.
How Does This Apply To Us?
As David was dissuaded from fighting in the wrong way for the wrong reason, so let us be led by the Holy Spirit to fight in the right way for the right reasons. Find out what God is for and get on that side. Find out what God is against and join the attack. In prayer, we can sort this out. In prayer, we can see which side needs our support. In prayer, we can make the strong, wise, quiet decision to be counted on the side for good and love, and peace. In prayer, we can find the strength to be counter to evil and hatred and revenge.
Pray With Me
Lord, as Abigail persuaded David not to fight in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons, so let your Holy Spirit guide me into fighting in the right way for the right reasons. When I stand with the Lord against the enemies of the Lord, I am secure. May I never fear for my security or for that of my house so long as I am engaged in the cause of my Master. He is most secure who for the sake of the Lord is most willing to give up security. It is in waging the battle that we are least open to harm. Fighting the good fight of faith leads to resting on the strong arms of Hope.
Lord, make me a sure house. Teach me the secret of true security. I am tired of the false hopes and vain promises that are the stock-in-trade of the world. The pleasures of temporal comforts are empty and fleeting. It is only in moving on and moving out for You that I keep the sense of unfailing grace. It is only in losing myself for Your sake that I find myself.
May I have real knowledge of when and where Your battles are fought. I would not be so quick to call my battles Your battles that I fail to see that it is Your battles, only Your battles, that should be my battles. Then give me a willing heart that, having seen the place of service, I may not hold back in fear and doubt. I do not despise protection. I need it. I am not ashamed to confess the need. I am lost without it, but, Lord, let it be Your grace that covers and Your love that shields. Let me find my true security in bold advance for I will never find it in fearful retreat.
In the name of Him who as the pioneer of our salvation, fought and won the world's great battle on Calvary's lonely hill. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
The way God gives us a sure house is through our submission to His will and our willingness to be counted on His side. When we are enlisted on His side, He fights the right battles for the right reasons at the right time and we enter into the spoils of His victory. Let us not be too sure that our battles are always the Lord's battles, but let us make very sure that the Lord's battles are our battles. Moving on in the life of prayer is knowing when to fight and why and above all, how. Prayer is discovering ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’
