Battling the Battles

I started the New Year on my couch with a cold this year and I’m starting to think it wasn’t an accident it turned out that way.  

I decided to watch Prince Caspian, the second Narnia movie, which I’ve probably seen at least 100 times by now, but if you really knew me you’d know, I pretty much only like to watch movies I know I’ll already like. So I watch it and I get to the part where they are in the last battle towards the end of the movie, and the tactics the allies have used, worked, and they’re doing pretty well, until the enemies send a whole other round of troops in. They’re basically out of options at this point as they are outnumbered and have no other cards to play. This is when Aslan (the lion representing God) steps in and uses the trees to destroy the enemies weapons and gets them to retreat. At this point they get to the bridge at the river and you see Lucy standing alone with her dagger ready to fight them off. Then Aslan joins her and spoiler alert, they win. 

If you noticed they did have to play their part in the battle. They had to prepare, to make a plan, and to fight, but they did so knowing Aslan was fighting along side them and knew ultimately He would win the battle for them. They couldn’t do it on their own (which if you’ve seen the movie you can remember what happened when they tried).

Lucy had to show up on the bridge ready to fight, but she could fight knowing she had the ultimate champion on her side that would fight for her knowing she couldn’t win on her own.

We can’t just sit back and wait for our battles to resolve themselves BUT we also have to fight knowing that God is on our side fighting for us, and that He has victory over it all already. 

There was another line in the movie where Lucy says to Peter “have you forgotten who really defeated the white witch” and that kind of hit me. I have been working so hard to get rid of the ugliness in my life that I’m forgetting the one who already defeated all of it for me. Instead of inviting the Lord into my mess and asking Him to help me, I am drowning in shame and defeat over lost battles. 

So. As I start the year 2024. I am publicly inviting the Lord into my mess. Asking Him to fight my battles as I work alongside of Him. Not the other way around. 

Wanna join me? (: