Brave & Joy of the Lord art signs by Julie Hammer
Are you experiencing warfare these days? I think that many of us are facing an intense battle. Recently God has been speaking to me through 2 Chronicles 20. It’s the story of King Jehoshaphat when 3 different armies were going to attack his people.
In verse 12, Jehoshaphat says, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” – It’s so important to acknowledge to God that we have no power in ourselves, and how true is it, that we often don’t know what to do in our trying situations, especially when we feel attacked from all sides! BUT, we must keep our eyes on Him!
In verses 15 and 17 God speaks through a prophet to His people and says, “…Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…….You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you… Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
What I saw from this is first, the promise that God is fighting our battles. He says that the battle is His! But then God speaks to the people and tells them what they are to do:
• Position yourselves – We are seated with Him in heavenly places and we need to see that as our position.
• Stand still – We are called to take a stand against the enemy and the only way we can stand in confidence is when we know our position in Him.
• See the salvation of the Lord – He tells us to “see” His victory. The only way we will see it is if we are looking for it with eyes of faith.
Now these three things: position yourselves, stand still, and see, appear on the outside to be inactive, as if we aren’t doing anything. But they are very active in the spirit realm! It takes faith to do these things, especially when we are in the midst of an intense battle.
So He instructs us to do those three things, but He also tells us two things we are NOT to do: fear or be dismayed. Oh, boy. In the natural, when we are facing the enemy on all sides, it is so tempting to give in to fear and feel overwhelmed and dismayed. But God warns us not to agree with those feelings and temptations. The only way that we can overcome fear and dismay is be keeping our eyes of faith on the Lord, positioning ourselves in Him, standing firm and watching for His victory!
Jehoshaphat’s response was that he worshiped the Lord, and when they went out to meet the enemy, he sent the singers out first to worship and praise the Lord. The outcome of this story is amazing! The three enemy armies destroyed each other, and God’s people gathered all the treasures from the armies! They truly didn’t have to fight at all! They just watched and saw as God destroyed their enemies!

Pictured above are two of my reclaimed wood signs featuring my original artwork. You Make Me Brave, and The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength. When we are facing battles, God is the one who makes us brave, giving us the courage to stand firm in our position in Him. And as we walk through these times of battle, it’s tempting to allow the enemy to steal our joy. But we must remind ourselves that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We need to maintain our joy so that we can stay strong for our battle!

Let’s learn from this amazing story as we go through whatever battles we are facing! Truly, the battle belongs to the Lord!

My signs are available in three sizes. The approximate sizes are: Large – 6″x19″, Medium – 4″x10″, Small – 2″x6″.

Sign Prices: Large signs are $28, Medium signs are $14 and Small signs are $8. Please contact us for information on ordering these signs.

Check out more of my signs and other products at Product Samples. Or view my paintings & artwork at Gallery.

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