For You equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. Psalm 18:39
C.F.W. Walther once wrote these words, “O take heart and be joyful! The Lord, who is a God of truth, is with us! By that sign we shall conquer, though all powers of darkness in midnight hour plot against us and rise against us on the battlefield. The battle will rage hot and ever hotter! Finally, we, persistent to the end – and grant this to us Jesus Christ, Thou Leader in the fight – we will be taken in triumph into the congregation above, to the eternal festival of jubilation. Amen.”
The battles the church faced in Walther’s day are still some of the battles the church continues to face. Our foes - sin, death, and the devil – will fight against us tirelessly. As Walther said, “The battle will rage hot and ever hotter!” But thanks be to God – for as Psalm 18:39 tell us – God has equipped us with strength for the battle.
God has given us all that we need to withstand the daily attacks of the devil and our sinful flesh. Even when our foes seem to have us on the ropes and defeated – we can be sure we have the victory because of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection, He has won for us – forgiveness, life, and salvation! We are equipped for battle because we know that when we are weak and fail, we can turn to the Lord in repentance and receive the forgiveness won for us by Christ!
May the Good News of the forgiveness, life, and salvation won for us by Jesus Christ give us the strength we need each and every day!
