Don’t Water the Plastic Plant
There is a song that I hear on the radio called “You’ve Already Won,” and in the first line of the chorus the artist sings, “I’m fighting a battle You’ve already won.” But what does that really mean? It certainly isn’t literal because most-likely God isn’t going to appear before you to fight your enemies, not that He couldn’t. We know that Jesus fought the ultimate battle during the events leading up to His crucifixion and His dying words on the cross were, “It is finished,” or the Greek word ‘tetelestai.’ But what is finished? He had fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament, He established a new covenant so that all the people would be reconciled to God, but mostly it signified that the battle was won. The debt of the sin of humanity was and is paid in full, wiped away forever.
Knowing this, we have to ask ourselves why we still fight to no avail. Fighting a battle that’s already won is like watering a plastic plant…all effort, no growth. I’d guess that most of our battles are not physical but are more related to relationships, finances, addictions, etc. Sometimes these situations seem hopeless or overwhelming, but as believers, we MUST remember that NOTHING is too big for our God. When we grow weary, anxious or fearful in these times we might begin to doubt God and forget that He’s gone before us and the battle is already won, we just have to trust and wait.
A great example is the Israelites, as they exited out of Egyptian bondage, they become cornered when they reached the Red Sea. With no apparent way around it, I can imagine fear, panic and dread filled their thoughts as the Egyptian army closed in on them. But you see…God had a plan. (which He often does and we just don’t see it) In Exodus 15:5, God asks Moses “why do you cry to Me?” It’s like God is saying ‘Don’t worry…I’ve got this.’ Verse 4 tells us that God needed to show Pharoah and all of Egypt that HE was the one true King. Verse 15:8 says, “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh…and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness.” God made it so Pharoah would be so mad that he would chase after the Israelites, and he did, with six hundred chariots and men on each. In God’s sovereign timing, He allowed Moses to do the impossible…with the raising of his staff, the sea split in two and after the Israelites had safely passed over, the army was swallowed up when the walls of water came crashing down on them.
Though they were slaves, and badly treated, the Israelites had become anxious and frenzied, doubting that they’d survive, doubting their leader Moses, and doubting God. Only after they witnessed the soldiers dead on the seashores did they rightfully fear the Lord, believing once again in the Lord and His servant Moses.
When we’re cornered and the world is expecting us to throw the first punch, we need to take a step back, breathe and remember the four words Jesus told Jairus when he learned that his daughter was dead. “Don’t fear, just believe.” We can’t pick and choose which parts of the bible we’re going to believe, it’s an “all or nothing” kind of book. If you believe Jesus died on the cross for you, then you have to believe that when God says, “I’ve got this,” He does.