Be Still

A little less than a year ago there was a whole lot going on in our family.  Not that there isn't a lot going on now, but last year it was a different kind of "a lot".  Most of it very few people knew about.  Our family, Rick and I specifically, were in the midst of spiritual warfare that was tougher than any we had been through in our marriage. Our marriage has seen it's share of issues just like any other, but that wasn't what was happening.  In fact, through it all last year, our marriage has come out stronger than ever.  The battle was strong and the oppression seemed stronger.

I remember sometime last spring telling Rick that I felt like I was constantly fighting.  Fighting the kids, fighting with him, fighting against Satan.  I told him I felt like the warfare was too much and I was war weary.  He spoke wisdom to me that day (have I ever told you how much I love that man??) and it was exactly what I needed.  He said "I understand what you are saying, but God doesn't ask you to always fight.  Sometimes He wants you to be still and let Him fight for you."  I can be a bit of an arguer and I like to have the last word.  I tried to come back with something, but I had nothing I had to let that sink in and let his words of wisdom wash over me.

There are times I KNOW I am called into battle.  I have told you about that  before.  I had not considered up to that point that God not only doesn't  need me to fight, he doesn't always want me to fight.  I have spent a lot of time in this past year learning the difference between the two.  I have spent time looking for places in God's word where He tells me He is my mighty warrior; learning the songs that give praise to the Lord our Mighty Warrior.  I have learned to lean in hard to Him and to ask Him to fight for me and to help me to be still and to know when it is my time to enter the battle.

In this past year we have made some very hard decisions for our family. We have walked away from what was familiar for the last 15 years.  In this last 6 months God has shown us in so many ways that the fight was not only necessary it was for our good.  The ways He has proved Himself to be trustworthy, loving, faithful, and good are more than I can count.

This past week some old demons, if you will, have raised their heads and I have found myself once again fighting and weary.  This morning God brought to my mind that conversation with my husband last spring and some verses I learned this past year shortly after that conversation.  "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still"  Exodus 14:14 and "The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name" Exodus 15:3.
I hear the call once again, not into battle, but into rest.