Strength For Our Battles – Paul Chappell

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

2 Corinthians 4:7–10

God has promised us many things as His children, but He has not promised us an easy life. Christians experience the same sickness, economic difficulty, and natural disasters that those around them do. Yet in those days of trouble, we have something the world does not—the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives within, providing us the strength to not just fight but win the battles that we face. In our own strength, we have no hope of victory. But in God’s power and reliance on His promises, we have full assurance that no matter how bad circumstances get, He is in control. This is a knowledge that we must maintain when times are difficult.

There is an old Peanuts comic where Lucy and Linus are staring out the window, watching it rain. Lucy says, “Boy, look at it rain… What if it floods the whole world?” Linus answers, “It will never do that … In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow.” Lucy smiles and says, “You’ve taken a great load off my mind.” Linus responds, “Sound theology has a way of doing that!” God’s truth does not change according to our situation, we can always rely on everything that He has promised He will do. This is our hope when things are difficult. And though we may be troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down, we will be victorious.