In my career as a police officer, I had to prepare for court. I didn't always have the luxury of having an attorney fighting for me so I had to present my own cases. I had to act as the attorney for the prosecution even if the defendant had an attorney. Talk about intimidating! Going up against someone skilled in fighting court battles with law degrees and pretty certificates hanging on the wall could sometimes be nerve rattling.
I always went into the court room prepared even if I knew the defendant was going to plead guilty without a fight. I wanted to make sure that I did the best job I could or the work would all be for nothing. With God's strength and guidance, I had great success in my conviction rate.
Being prepared, even if you aren't sure there will even be a battle, is the wise thing to do. Because we never know how things might go, a battle plan is always good.
Proverbs 21:31 (NLT) says, "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord." This verse reminds me that we don't know what God's plans are. We can have faith that things will go the way we expect, but God is the only One that knows for sure until the battle is over. The only absolute is that God's will is always perfect.
Although we don't know the outcome of all circumstances, we can rest assured that God fight's the battle for us and has already won the victory. However, we must not forget that the preparation is training. It teaches us in ways that we might not ever understand. God uses the prep time to give us knowledge and strength and builds wisdom.
As a battle for my marriage ensues, divorce court seems possible, and almost, inevitable from a worldly view. My faith tells me that God is going to do something fabulous through all of this but God gives me wisdom to prepare for whatever He has planned. I have to be prepared for a battle even if there may not be one. Because I am letting God fight this battle for me and He has already won the victory, I have to know that preparation is training.
I have to admit, I hesitated for a long time before getting an attorney. I felt it was a sign of giving up or not trusting God. If God is fighting for me, why do I need to hire someone else for the battle? Someone who doesn't know what's best for me, like God does, isn't going to benefit me, right?
Here is the answer...God can use this preparation to teach me. Even if my marriage doesn't end up in divorce court, I will now have the knowledge to help someone with the process. It also has shown me how much I have, materially, that doesn't even matter to me. The process puts in perspective things of this life.
Even though God fights the battles for us, He wants us to be prepared for any outcome. The preparation and training up to the battle might be the lesson He is trying to teach. He could be helping you saddle the horse that will be for someone else's battle.
Our battles, our struggles and yuck can be God's way of preparing us for helping someone else facing the same struggles. Who wants advice from someone who has never had a struggle? It's hard to put yourself in someone's shoes, or saddle for that matter, if you haven't experienced hardships in life. I applaud those who have lived a righteous life with no struggles. I wish I had, but the growth my struggles have caused has been amazing. God has and will continue to use this preparation for His glory. My horse is saddled and ready for battle. Thank God the victory is His.
No comments:
Post a Comment