A Dilemma

A Dilemma

“An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, and let us go against her for battle.” - Obadiah 1:1

Here is an interesting prayer

“It’s easy to forget this part of following You, Jesus.

You call me to peace. But You also call me to take up Your sword.

You teach me to turn the other cheek. But You also command me to stand up for what’s right.

Whenever possible, You challenge me to find common ground with those who oppose me. But You also order me to draw a line in the dirt beyond which I will not, cannot, dare not, go.

You call me to forgive, to overlook an offense, to lovingly cover over a multitude of sins. But You also call me to wage war against evil.

Yes, I’m one of Your lambs. But I’m also a soldier. And You’re my Commanding Officer.

So. Who…what…when…where… Do You want me – in Your strength – to fight?”

The Christian dilemma is summed up well in this prayer.

You call me to peace. But You also call me to take up Your sword.

Each line of this prayer contains a paradox, an opposite. It is also a cry for wisdom and discernment. This opening line talks about peace and its antithesis – the sword. Surely it is only OK to war with the sword of God’s Word?

You teach me to turn the other cheek. But You also command me to stand up for what’s right. How can we turn the other cheek yet obey the call to stand up for righteousness? It is so hard to keep turning the other cheek whilst maintaining our stance for that which is right and just.

Whenever possible, You challenge me to find common ground with those who oppose me. But You also order me to draw a line in the dirt beyond which I will not, cannot, dare not, go. I wonder how many of us have been caught in this little nutcracker. Just how far is too fat? Surely this can only be answered by Holy Spirit speaking to our heart.

You call me to forgive, to overlook an offense, to lovingly cover over a multitude of sins. But You also call me to wage war against evil. The great problem here is

Yes, I’m one of Your lambs. But I’m also a soldier. And You’re my Commanding Officer. Understanding who and what we are in Christ is essential and requires great wisdom and discernment. On the one hand, if we are carrying our cross, then we too are lambs of God, willing to be sacrificed for His sake. Yet balancing this we are also soldiers of Christ taking orders from ‘on high’ and just waiting for the order to ‘get stuck in’

So. Who…what…when…where… Do You want me – in Your strength – to fight?” The answer to this, and to all the preceding questions, must be prayer, prayer, and more prayer. Ephesians 6:10-18 is our battle order.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

It’s the spiritual battle we must win first. Then the physical one will be so much easier.