“Join Forces” – by Meghan Williams, Dyed4you Art
Exodus 12:41 (NKJV) And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.
There comes a point in our spiritual journey where God calls us to shift how we see our relationship with Him and how we see ourselves. So often we may find ourselves focusing on God as our refuge and our deliverer. And indeed, He is all that and more to us; He has delivered us out of bondage with a mighty hand. And yet, an amazing truth is that God delivered so that we might join forces with Him. We are no longer slaves, instead, we have been called to stand by the side of our King as a mighty army.
When the children of Israel were leaving the bondage of Egypt, Scripture refers to them as “the armies of the LORD.” With the Heavenly King mounting such an elaborate rescue, it’s difficult to think of this band of slaves as an army. And yet, if we follow their wilderness sojourns, we can see that the Israelites were definitely struggling to accept that they were God’s mighty warriors. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they refused the call to join their King and battle for the land of Israel.
Yet it was Joshua and his generation who were able to grab ahold of God’s vision and walk in it. When they considered the battles for the Promised Land that were ahead, they understood that the Presence of the King—along with His heavenly hosts—would be going with them, to fight for them. This is also the shift in perspective that we must make. We too must cross over from a mindset of oppression and weakness and rise up as the army we were created to be. However, our “military might” isn’t found in the strength of our flesh. For the just live—and fight—by faith and faith alone.
Joshua 6,9 (VOICE) So be strong and courageous, for you will lead this people as they acquire and then divide the land I promised to their ancestors…. This is My command: be strong and courageous. Never be afraid or discouraged because I am your God, the Eternal One, and I will remain with you wherever you go.
