if my people, who are called by my name, will
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their
sin and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not
grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
So he
raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua
circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been
circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they
remained where they were in camp until they were healed.
Then
the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of
Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. (Joshua 5:7-9)
For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
(Ephesians 6:12)
The war for independence began April 19, 1775. Washington was
selected as the Commander in Chief on July 3, 1775. On July 4, and
1776, the Continental Congress voted to formally declare American independence
from the British Empire. They signed the document on August 2, 1776. If you
look at the list of battles in the Revolutionary War, each side won victories,
but toward the end, the British seemed to win more battles than the Americans
did. The war ended in 1783.
So what? To begin, I am not trying
to make any comparison between events in the Old Testament and America.
American is not the Church, and the Church is not America. Yes, we were founded
on Christian principles, but that’s not what this is about. Instead, I am pointing
out a trend that I suspect can be found in the history of the vast majority of
nations, organizations, and personal lives; perhaps all of them.
When we begin a war, whether
it’s between we, us, and ourselves, between us and them, between nations, or
between ourselves and rulers, authorities and powers, that war does not end
within ten seconds, minutes, hours, or days. More often than not, it lasts for
a long time. In fact, between when the war actually begins and when you declare
your independence may take some time. It may seem to be forever before your
enemy responds. Your ability to launch the obvious attack may be hampered by
what seems to be an unnecessary and dangerous detail (like circumcising all your warriors!). You
may find yourself performing routine tasks that don’t make sense, like walking
around a city one time each day for six days.
God may inform you that it’s
only if your humble yourself and pray and seek His face and turn from your
wicked ways that He’ll heal your land or grant you victory. He may be silent
and force you to wait…and wait. Our waiting may involve healing. It could
involve preparation. Or training. Or rest. Or a test of obedience and faith. Or
repentance. The point is that the waiting, the gap between beginning and end or
between failure and victory is part of the process. Scripture, history, and
personal experience teach this, but we don’t like the lesson.
So, on this day after Independence Day, we need to remind ourselves that July 4, 1776 didn’t end the war between Britain and the colonies. It didn’t actually free the colonists. It merely formalized the matter between them. That might be a useful thing for us to do when we face a foe. Write a formal declaration rejecting its dominion over our lives. Tell how and why it is to be rejected. Hang it on your fridge or mirror.
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