FRIDAY
This week we have looked at the necessity of knowing who God is if we are to trust him to fight for us. We have primarily looked at God’s deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian’s invasion and the psalm that likely resulted from an event like that. So we have primarily been in the Old Testament. The New Testament reveals God to be even more glorious in the Trinity.
In John 1 we see a powerful description of the glory of God in Jesus.
John 1:1–5 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:14 (NIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
By describing Jesus as “The Word” John is linking Jesus to the agent of creation in Genesis. He is God, but also distinct from God. This means that he shares the nature of divinity but is himself a separate identity. He has life in himself, just as the name Yahweh implies. He tabernacled among humanity, just as the God did in the Exodus narrative. He shares the attributes of the Father—grace and truth. All this to say—Jesus is God in flesh.
Jesus is the fullest revelation of God to us. In the gospels we see his great power, the power of God on display. He calms the storm. He heals the sick. He multiplies bread and fish. He makes the unclean clean. He teaches truth and refutes the lies of the religious leaders. He casts out demons. He raises the dead. In all these ways, Jesus fights for us. If we are to be still and know that God is God, we must be still and know that Jesus is God. If we are to trust God to fight for us, we must see how he fights for us in Jesus.
The New Testament also reveals God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals truth to us (1 Cor. 2:6-16), he produces the character of Christ in us (Gal 5:22-23), he equips us to witness (Jn. 16:8-10) and edify the church (1 Cor. 12:7), he confirms our adoption as children of God (Rom. 8:15-16), he intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26). If we are to know God as the God who fights for us, we must know the Holy Spirit as well.
My prayer is that we would all learn to be still in the face of insurmountable obstacles because we deeply know our Trinitarian God who fights for us. Him fighting for us is WAY better than us fighting for ourselves. I hope you are convinced of that truth this week. More than that, I hope that you are so assured of that truth that you can be still, let go of the rope and trust in God to fight for you. His hands are more secure than yours. His arm is stronger than yours. His mind is higher than yours. You can trust him.
Up until this point in the campaign, the Scriptures that we have been studying may have seemed a little distant in application. The people of God are no longer a nation state which can be besieged or attacked in battle. In Jesus and the Holy Spirit we see how God fights for his people now in the New Testament era. This is how we will proceed with this campaign. From here on out, we will look at the ways in which God fights for us in our era of redemption history.
Reflection
This is obviously theology 101 stuff. Yet we so often fail to live like it’s true. In our day-to-day, how often do we take matters into our own hands before even pausing to pray and seek the Lord? How often do we act without thought of obedience to the Lord? How often do we simply live without regard for God at all? As a result of living like this, how often does our soul experience rest? I’d invite you to reflect on some current insurmountable obstacles you are facing. How does knowing God as God help you to be still and trust him to fight for you?