TERRI SHIAVO: ‘THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S’
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ." (I Samuel 17:47)
It is absolutely true. The battle is the Lord’s in every surrendered life. There is no commitment that is outside the warring might of the Lord God.
Further, what those who know not the Lord may claim as defeat is never defeat in the surrendered life. Never. Never. Never. Time and again the committed life appears to be on the rocks, undone, embarrassed, crawling on knees before the enemy. Not so.
That is only a perspective temporary. That is but a slanted view. That is not the way the Lord God sees the surrendered life. He sees the yielded soul in its completion — alpha to omega.
On that awful Friday, it was total failure, over and done in the most horrific fashion. It was the bloody hanging frame of the young adult from the other side of the tracks — Nazareth. It was the torn skin, shredded limbs, face with bugs flying about the eyes, a swollen tongue and bloated stomach ready to burst to the winds.
That was but a perspective temporary. That was only a slanted view. That was not the way the Father saw the holy life tied to the wood. The Father saw the Son obedient even unto the death of the cross — Alpha to Omega.
Terri was and is a Christian. She loved and loves the Lord God. Her parents give witness to her surrendered life to Jesus — simple, innocent, clear and clean. While her husband Michael derided her stalwart faith, she remained true to the crossway. While he made fun of her faithfulness to the sanctuary, she went to the sanctuary.
During this battle for justice for Terri, for her earthly life to be fed and watered, for sanity to rule in place of the meanness of husband and courts, believers attending Terri far and near must recognize the prime factor: ". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ."
God is not done though the courts say they’re done. The Lord is not finished though the husband has screamed long ago he wanted her finished, exited, wiped out. Heaven is not closing the books though there are those who would for convenience close her books.
Therefore, believers endeared to Terri, interceding for Terri, imploring heaven’s power for Terri, must realize that God has been in the Terri-process all along. There is no need to waken up the Lord from a slumber. He has been more attentive to these ongoing details that any mortal. God is very much in the fray.
Don’t count on the outward present-tense appearances for the full scope. If we did that with Terri, we would have had to give up on that awful Friday when the Son hung between two worlds, when Roman soldiers mocked and a temple guard chortled.
If any week should remind us in how to deal with the Terri debacle, it’s Holy Week — this week, now. We by faith believe that God was at work, is at work, will continue to be at work in the surrendered life one Terri Shiavo. Period.
That’s it. Otherwise, wrap up faith and call it but an illusion. However, the gift of faith granted us by the Holy Spirit is the power. It is the might to believe that ". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ."
Miracles happen here and now. Sometimes they happen there and then. But whatever God does that no mortal could see through is defined as a miracle. It is the fact of faith that if we could only envision what the Lord is up to this minute, seeing it all from heaven’s throne, we would relax more in His plan. We would rejoice that the enemy is thwarted this minute. The victory is ours now as well as yet to be revealed future-tense.
Is it too much for us to ask one another to relax in the faith? Is it cowardly or lack of hope to remind ourselves that we need to put the Terri burden constantly into the Lord’s care? Is it Christian to undo our anguish so as to praise God for His undercurrents taking place for Terri as we breathe?
As Jesus writhed on the tree, the Father’s redemptive plan was working through and through — far more than we will ever understand in this life. As Jesus’ body was lifted off the wood, wrapped in cloth and then laid on the cold slabs of Joseph’s tomb, the Father’s salvation scheme was set loose beyond any earthly power and comprehension.
As Jesus disappeared from friends’ view on that Dark Saturday, the Father continued his marvelous plot to defeat every demon, step on death’s head and prepare His Beloved for the Come Back at dawn.
Believe me when I remind you that the same Easter God on behalf of Jesus is very much involved on the deepest levels in Terri’s surrendered Christian commitment. Let it be so. Believe it to be so.
Thank God that she is not pagan but Christian. Give praise to Jesus that she is His daughter of grace and mercy and not sold out to the unbelieving clot of this planet. Let your heart then rise heavenward in gratitude that the woman we pray for has already been embraced by the Lord who owns her battle — from start to finish.
". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ."
For more: http://conservativeposts.us/ <http://conservativeposts.us/>
". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ." (I Samuel 17:47)
It is absolutely true. The battle is the Lord’s in every surrendered life. There is no commitment that is outside the warring might of the Lord God.
Further, what those who know not the Lord may claim as defeat is never defeat in the surrendered life. Never. Never. Never. Time and again the committed life appears to be on the rocks, undone, embarrassed, crawling on knees before the enemy. Not so.
That is only a perspective temporary. That is but a slanted view. That is not the way the Lord God sees the surrendered life. He sees the yielded soul in its completion — alpha to omega.
On that awful Friday, it was total failure, over and done in the most horrific fashion. It was the bloody hanging frame of the young adult from the other side of the tracks — Nazareth. It was the torn skin, shredded limbs, face with bugs flying about the eyes, a swollen tongue and bloated stomach ready to burst to the winds.
That was but a perspective temporary. That was only a slanted view. That was not the way the Father saw the holy life tied to the wood. The Father saw the Son obedient even unto the death of the cross — Alpha to Omega.
Terri was and is a Christian. She loved and loves the Lord God. Her parents give witness to her surrendered life to Jesus — simple, innocent, clear and clean. While her husband Michael derided her stalwart faith, she remained true to the crossway. While he made fun of her faithfulness to the sanctuary, she went to the sanctuary.
During this battle for justice for Terri, for her earthly life to be fed and watered, for sanity to rule in place of the meanness of husband and courts, believers attending Terri far and near must recognize the prime factor: ". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ."
God is not done though the courts say they’re done. The Lord is not finished though the husband has screamed long ago he wanted her finished, exited, wiped out. Heaven is not closing the books though there are those who would for convenience close her books.
Therefore, believers endeared to Terri, interceding for Terri, imploring heaven’s power for Terri, must realize that God has been in the Terri-process all along. There is no need to waken up the Lord from a slumber. He has been more attentive to these ongoing details that any mortal. God is very much in the fray.
Don’t count on the outward present-tense appearances for the full scope. If we did that with Terri, we would have had to give up on that awful Friday when the Son hung between two worlds, when Roman soldiers mocked and a temple guard chortled.
If any week should remind us in how to deal with the Terri debacle, it’s Holy Week — this week, now. We by faith believe that God was at work, is at work, will continue to be at work in the surrendered life one Terri Shiavo. Period.
That’s it. Otherwise, wrap up faith and call it but an illusion. However, the gift of faith granted us by the Holy Spirit is the power. It is the might to believe that ". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ."
Miracles happen here and now. Sometimes they happen there and then. But whatever God does that no mortal could see through is defined as a miracle. It is the fact of faith that if we could only envision what the Lord is up to this minute, seeing it all from heaven’s throne, we would relax more in His plan. We would rejoice that the enemy is thwarted this minute. The victory is ours now as well as yet to be revealed future-tense.
Is it too much for us to ask one another to relax in the faith? Is it cowardly or lack of hope to remind ourselves that we need to put the Terri burden constantly into the Lord’s care? Is it Christian to undo our anguish so as to praise God for His undercurrents taking place for Terri as we breathe?
As Jesus writhed on the tree, the Father’s redemptive plan was working through and through — far more than we will ever understand in this life. As Jesus’ body was lifted off the wood, wrapped in cloth and then laid on the cold slabs of Joseph’s tomb, the Father’s salvation scheme was set loose beyond any earthly power and comprehension.
As Jesus disappeared from friends’ view on that Dark Saturday, the Father continued his marvelous plot to defeat every demon, step on death’s head and prepare His Beloved for the Come Back at dawn.
Believe me when I remind you that the same Easter God on behalf of Jesus is very much involved on the deepest levels in Terri’s surrendered Christian commitment. Let it be so. Believe it to be so.
Thank God that she is not pagan but Christian. Give praise to Jesus that she is His daughter of grace and mercy and not sold out to the unbelieving clot of this planet. Let your heart then rise heavenward in gratitude that the woman we pray for has already been embraced by the Lord who owns her battle — from start to finish.
". . .the battle is the Lord’s. . ."
For more: http://conservativeposts.us/ <http://conservativeposts.us/>
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