love when we can take part in the Worship service, singing in a spontaneous choir or sharing a verse of scripture that is especially meaningful like last Sunday...
I have so many to choose from but I chose this one:
You do not need to fight in this battle, stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, oh Judah and Jerusalem ( or personalized as I like it : oh Miriam )
Do not be afraid, do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them and the Lord will be with you!
2 Chronicles 20:17
having had to hold on to this one in rather scary situations like coming back from rushing to Switzerland to be with family when my mother so very suddenly passed away in April of 2016, having "violated" my immigration status by leaving the country - how could I have not gone - God was indeed faithful and all He wanted me to do was to stand on His promise... and not be anxious...
the immigration process was complicated by this quite a bit and for sure delayed a long time, but, what we feared the most, me not being allowed back into the country, did not happen.
I saw the salvation of the Lord on my behalf!!!!
another time when because of business done in my name a long time ago, I potentially could have lost all I had, the Lord once again went before me and blew my mind by the salvation I was able to see on my behalf....
but, since the Word of God is indeed living and active, sharper than a two edged sword and piercing to the division of soul and spirit ( and does it ever... ) there this morning, praying and reflecting on a conflict that's been going on for a while... He, my most precious father and king, showed me something new...
yes, this is an amazing promise God made to His people, and to me, but all of a sudden I realized something that I hadn't seen before...
standing firm... and so far I thought that meant to stand on the truth that God keeps His promises and to trust Him ( which it for sure means ) in this newer scenario it meant something a bit different, a bit more personal...
standing firm means not wavering, not moving away from what is God's will, His good and acceptable and perfect will... His will, that is the very best for me...
His will is revealed to me in His Word, and really, to me anyways, it basically means His will for me is to be obedient... to His will... to what He told me.
so when it says respect your husband, put him first right after God, then that's what I need to stand firm on.
and when it says do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit and count others more significant than yourselves... then that's what I have to stand firm on.
when it says look to the interests of others and not only your own.. then that's what I have to stand firm on
when it says forgive like your Father in heaven has forgiven you, then I need to stand firm on that...
when it says as far as it is up to you, pursue peace, then I need to stand firm on that.......
and then, because He is faithful, and merciful and gracious and in His purposeful goodness has chosen me to be His, then I see the salvation of the Lord on my behalf...
and for that I will praise Him forever and ever, Amen
