You might know my friend Sam Kelly. Her story inspires me. She told me of her battle with alcohol. She says, “I was always going to quit drinking. Tomorrow.” What is the side effect of continually breaking the promise to quit tomorrow? Shame.
- “God must be so disappointed with me.”
- “I know better. Why can’t I do better?”
- “It’s not even worth it for Him to help me because I will just mess it up again.”
She was stuck in this cycle for years. Please hear me. God cares more about the pain you have than He does about whatever you are doing to medicate it. His heart is to have you healed and wholly His.
You can read the story of a king who is faced with a battle he can’t possibly win in 2 Chronicles 20: 15-17. He sends his worship leaders into battle first. They go in praising God and the Holy Spirit says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you… Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
What happens when we worship God before we worry about the battle? The battleground is our pain. What happens when we invite God right into the middle of that battleground – those deepest painful areas. The places we’ve never explored because it would hurt too much. The scar tissue is so tight it has us bound and fearful that without it we’d fall apart. What if we admitted to the mess and let Him into the stink of it? What if we let him heal the hurt instead continuing to numb it?
In 1 Samuel 1:3,11 we hear God referred to as Jehovah Sabaoth. It means “The Lord of Hosts.” The Lord of angel armies is a way I’ve heard it described. God rules over all things, he is all powerful, and all-loving. Yet this story is 1 Samuel is about a childless woman, Hannah, who prays for God to hear her prayer and grant this desire. It shows us the way God cares for the desires of our heart.
His glory shines bright. Not in your ability to fight the battle, but in your willingness to let Him fight for you. He is just waiting for you to let him in.
I don’t know what your battle is today, but I’m guessing you have one and that God is placing it on your heart right now. Have you asked God to come into your battle? To fight for you? He is not going to push his way in, but give God a chance. He wants to help. Make today the day the cycle stops.
Sam didn’t win her battle overnight, but she did win. She is a reminder to all of us that trusting God with our pain can lead to freedom.
God is fighting for you!
