“Horses, chariots, and an army greater than your own…” That’s a scary sight! “Do not be afraid…do not lose heart, panic, or tremble before them.” That’s easy to say! Yes, these words jumped out at me in the reading this morning. Notice what Moses says to Israel.
“When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. (Deuteronomy 20:1–3, NLT)
Israel is smaller than the battles it is about to face. Real horses and chariots are coming! The enemy will outnumber them! The walled cities are impossible to penetrate! However, the real dangers are not horses, chariots, the enemy’s size, or any wall’s height and thickness. The real threat is fear and panic—losing heart and strength—a scary sight!
So what does Moses say?
For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’ (Deuteronomy 20:4, NLT)
If I am reading this right, Israel is supposed to take that first step regardless of how scary the sight is, and then the next step, and the next, for God is with them and will fight for them. Talk about putting your trust in God!
Have you ever gotten excited about what God is showing you and what He wants to do with your life? Have you ever had a season where you felt incredibly close to God? Are you on the eve of Him doing a new work in your life? So, you step out excitedly, believing that this good thing God wants to do will be successful. But, your zeal is met with horses, chariots, and perplexingly high walls—now what? Scary sight?
The real obstacles in our walk of faith are not the horses, chariots, or even the walls, though they are real. The greater obstacle is fear and panic—losing heart and strength. So what should we do?
By faith, take the next step! God is with us! He is in our next step! Fear and panic, which will cause us to lose heart and strength, must move out of the way with God. They may not move ten steps out of our way, but they must move out of our next step! This is not a mental, just think positive game; this is a real battle for moment-by-moment trust in our great God! Be not afraid; take that next step with God!
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. (Psalm 34:4–5, ESV)
Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Deuteronomy 17:1-20:20.
Oh thank goodness he is with us!!
Must remember this in the moment of fear.