Remember This Truth When You Feel God Isn’t Defending You

In the midst of heartache, pain and trauma, it is often difficult to see what God is doing. He is the greatest defender, the most magnificent warrior. He is the one who runs after our bondage in a relentless pursuit of our freedom. He never tires of bringing us into a place of healing and life. No matter how many times we’ve rejected Him, His position never changes. It is constant. As a matter of fact, because He sees eternally, He is putting our rescue into place before we’ve encountered a problem.

We Must Surrender to the Process

But when the sucker punch comes, when we experience death or tragedy, when it feels like your heart is being ripped out, the choking sensation that comes with grief, or when fear tries to consume us, it is hard to remember that deliverance is already at work on our behalf. I know those feelings: the ones you just wish you could numb, but when you wake up again, they are still there.

We Fight by Dancing in the Face of Fear

We must always remind ourselves of the great truth, the great promises He has made to us. We must surrender to the process. He dances us through pain into joy. He makes war for us. All we have to do is partner with Him. We pick up our sword and we fight. We fight with our worship. We fight by resting in His victory, the victory He says is ours. We fight by reminding our hearts and souls of His character and promises. We fight by dancing in the face of fear. We feast at His table, in His presence while the enemy is still present. And in those moments when we cannot fight, we rest in the arms of the greatest protector there has ever been. We give Him access to the most painful secret parts of our hearts. He gently pours in the soothing comfort that only He has. He shares our anguish; He holds our hand and our hearts as we cry. He whispers peace to our storm.

The Great Defender of our hearts leads us out of the battle, into life. He leads us into wholeness, joy and freedom.

Adapted from NextGen Worship’s blog. Hayley Kahler is a proud mother to 3 boys and wife to Clint Kahler. She loves Jesus, coffee and chocolate. Hayley has led worship with her husband for 20-plus years.