"Rise, shine, you people! Christ the Lord has entered Our human story; God in Him is centered. He comes to us, by death and sin surrounded, With grace unbounded.
"Come, celebrate, your banners high unfurling, Your songs and prayers against the darkness hurling. To all the world go out and tell the story Of Jesus' glory."
God fought and won battles for His people, often in unexpected and unusual ways. After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry land, God released the sea and the returning waters drowned Pharaoh's pursuing army. God caused the walls of Jericho to fall as the Israelites simply marched around the city. The Midianite army fled in fear at the sound of shouts and trumpets and the sight of torches in the hands of Gideon's outnumbered band of warriors. The giant Philistine warrior Goliath was felled by a stone from a shepherd boy's sling. King Jehoshaphat of Judah was so confident in the Lord's salvation that he sent the choir into battle ahead of his army! The choir sang praise as God set an ambush for the enemy.
We live in this world "by death and sin surrounded." Just as Israel alone could not defeat Egyptian chariots, a Midianite army, or a Philistine giant, we could never on our own defeat the deadly foes of death, sin, and Satan. God won the battle for us, and in a most unexpected way. He sent His own Son, Jesus our Lord, to enter "our human story." Jesus did not do battle with Satan in a display of power and blinding glory. He did not call down angelic armies to fight the enemy. Jesus conquered as a weak and helpless victim nailed to a cross. By His death and resurrection, Jesus overcame the evil foe and tore the weapons of sin and death from the devil's grasp. Through faith in Jesus, His victory is our victory. The Word of God for King Jehoshaphat of Judah is the Word for us, too: "Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf" (2 Chronicles 20:17b).
Now through faith in Christ Jesus we are more than conquerors. We stand firm in faith against a world filled with hatred and unbelief, a world that needs to hear the Good News of salvation. For us, standing firm does not mean standing still. Standing firm in faith means moving forward and conquering, not through military might or angry arguments, but through our confession of faith and our works of love and service. In triumph and joy we storm the gates of hell with the Gospel, the story of Jesus, and hurl our "songs and prayers against the darkness." It might even be a good idea to follow the example of King Jehoshaphat and send in the choir!
WE PRAY: Lord God, go before us in power as we share the Good News of salvation. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "Rise, Shine, You People," which is number 825 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you have any favorite stories of battles fought and won? What are they?
2. How is it that through faith in Christ we are more than conquerors?
3. What are some weapons we have for doing battle in spiritual warfare? (See Ephesians 6:10-18.)
Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 11-13 Ephesians 2
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