“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge who subdues peoples under me.” – Psalm 144:1-2
In my simplistic way of thinking, love and war are two entirely different concepts that mix like oil and water. Love is patient and kind, right? Does not envy, boast…
Yes.
But love in action is not passive or black and white. There is more to it, and I believe these verses help shape the bigger picture.
No soldier loves killing. On the contrary, every good soldier is defined by his love for people and his desire to protect them. He makes himself a student of the enemy so that he can easily identify them, and does what he must to protect himself and innocent civilians from anyone or anything that would kill and destroy.
Outwardly, I am not a fighter. The sight of destruction makes me sick, and I cannot fathom what would make people desire to destroy others. I am wired to help things grow and flourish, not be destroyed. But simply thinking of love as a warm, fuzzy feeling is selling it short. Love is a proclamation of devotion, a promise to fight off all that threatens to harm and destroy. Love is strength that protects and defends. Love is a fight. On the other hand, war is not all about destruction. War is a sad reality that results from sin, and destruction is its result; but the purpose of war is to prevent worse destruction. God does not desire us to stand idly by as His children are harmed and destroyed by sin. He provides armor and ammunition for the fight, and its ultimate purpose is to heal. It makes the broken whole, it gives sight to those blind to God, it extends hope to the hopeless, it provides strength to the paralyzed, and it gives eternal purpose to the lost. It is my job to learn to use it, and to understand and fulfill the battle position He has assigned me.
Maybe I don’t have to try to be less of a fighter. Maybe I just need to shift my focus and pay more attention to who I am following into battle.
Proclaiming His Goodness 