“Your victory isn’t going to come through trusting in your swords and spears. For the battle is the Lord’s. He will take care of the enemy. Trust him.” (1Sam.17:47)
This is what the Lord says to you: “Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle isn’t yours, the battle belongs to God.” (2Chron.20:15)
Lord Jesus, we know that disagreements, conflicts, and battles are inevitable in life; but conflicting well is a choice requiring the resources of heaven. Whether it’s a broken story between friends or spouses, a division in the workplace or worship space, rising political discord or an all-out assault of evil—you “claim ownership.”
Fear, panic, and self-deliverance aren’t the order of the day; faith, trust, and worship are the order of every day. What does “conflicting well” look like? First and foremost, it means that our commitment to honor you is greater than our commitment to self-interest and self-glory. Rather than taking everything so personally, help us take everything more readily to you, Jesus—pouring out our hearts, loving you, trusting you with the outcome
When family matters, work dynamics—even “ministry life” get tense, disconcerting, relationship bruising and breaking—keep bringing us back to the Gospel expressing itself in wisdom (James 1:5), “faith expressing itself in love” (Gal.5:6) and trust expressing itself in waiting (Isa.40:31). We can’t always makes things better; but we can easily make things a lot worse.
Jesus may our conscience and heart be so possessed by the Gospel we will always fear dishonoring you more than we fear losing face, advantage, or prestige. We’ll only regret taking things into our own hands; we will never regret leaving them in yours—never. So Very Amen.
