Whose Weapons are These?

While cleaning the garage recently, I threw a handful of sticks out into the side yard.

My youngest son yelled in protest, “Those are my weapons!”

I tried explaining that they were only sticks, but he carefully explained how they were daggers and arrows and scimitars.

I tried a different tack. “They are not sharp enough to butcher chickens,” I reasoned.

“But they are sharp enough to kill orcs,” he said without hesitation.

I wonder if the Apostle Paul was as exasperated with the Corinthians when he told them, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”

I often rely on my own arsenal when I encounter difficulty: Fight or flight. Escapism. Emotional manipulation. Depression. Anxiety. Money. Self-reliance. And good, old-fashioned tantrum throwing.

My weapons are about as useful as my son’s sticks.

If we take our marching orders from the Lord, we must also look to Him to provide both the weapons we will need and the power to use them.

In 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah was under attack. Jehoshaphat relied on the weapons the Lord gave him: prayer, the people of God, and worship.

Wait. You may be wondering what I am wondering: Are those really weapons? Will they really defeat an enemy? Whose weapons are these? The Lord’s!

As soon as Jehoshaphat heard of the approaching enemy, he prayed. Prayer turned out to be a powerful weapon because Jehoshaphat was calling on the Lord, who holds power and might in His hand. He is the source of power!

All the force behind the arrow, all the aero-dynamics of the sword, all the spring-loaded propulsion of the catapult can’t hold a candle to God, the source of all power. So, prayer becomes our most effective weapon because it calls the Source in to supply every need.

After praying, Jehoshaphat gathered God’s people. Both genders, every socioeconomic class, and all the ages were called together. As they congregated, they heard the word of the Lord through a man just like themselves, one of the congregants. He reassured them and gave them God’s instructions.

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf…”

How often we underestimate the weapon that is the people of God! Nowadays, we often just think of God’s people as hypocrites, nuisances, or fanatics. However, as the body of Christ, the church is a powerful weapon in the hand of the Lord.

Third, as the people prepared for the confrontation with the enemy, Jehoshaphat chose to worship the Lord. The dichotomies of personal and corporate, loud and silent, falling down and standing up didn’t matter as much as the heart of worshiping the Lord in Spirit and truth. As soon as the people worshiped Him, the Lord acted.

The next time difficulty arises, I hope I will run to the Lord’s arsenal and not my own pile of sticks.