As we continue to look at the Lord as our protection, we come next to Yehovah Nissi.
The Lord of Hosts is our support as we surrender to Him as our leader in the Battle.
As we see the events unfolding around us, it is ever more essential to rally to His Banner and lift it up in the battle for the nations.
Seeing the recent earthquake in Myanmar, we have been praying for the injustices happening in this nation for several years, seemingly closed to the gospel.
Now we see this nation asking for assistance and the door opening a crack for help to go in.
Let us pray that this will be an opportunity for the gospel to go into the country, through aid workers and our prayers.
Closed borders cannot stop our prayers, or our God, who can do abundantly more than we can ask or think!
He delights to do the unexpected, turning a bad situation to an opportunity to show love and for His Spirit to break through, so let us hold them in prayer before Him.
There is one reference only to this name, in Moses battle against the Amalekites.
God led Moses and Joshua into victory over the Amalekites, but Moses hands became heavy.
He needed the help of his brethren, Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms.
Like Moses, we sometimes need to join with prayer partners in prayers of agreement to win the battle.
We are not meant to fight alone, but to support and encourage one another, lifting each other up, we need each other.
This is no “lone ranger” Christianity, God is with us, as our rear guard and going before us and our brethren by our side.
As the Celtic prayer of St Patrick’s Breastplate says,
“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.”
Moses stood and supported Joshua, with Hur and Aaron lifting his arms.
This battle takes teamwork, pray for and support one another.
Our weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, we are equipped for battle with the Word of God.
The Lord is our victory.
A Hope and a Future
Their battle was for survival, for a hope and a future.
God had promised to lead them into the promised land, into a hope and a future.
God promises us the same thing.
“I know the plans that I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29.11)
Our Strength Renewed
Isaiah 40.31 tells us that – “They that wait upon the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles;
They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
This is what we see happening to Moses, his strength was renewed!
We find that our strength is renewed when we are under God’s banner.
When we are weary, God is our victory.
I know all about getting weary and faint as I get older, I need His strength!
The arm of the flesh will fail, but when we support one-another we are strong.
We conquer in His name and in His strength!
He has won the battle for us.
The battle is the Lord’s. (1 Samuel 17.47)
Moses built an altar and named it Yehovah Nissi, “The Lord is my Banner”.
We must be prepared to sacrifice and submit our own will to the Lord’s direction.
If we submit to His care and trust in Him, He will shelter us and carry us as the eagle does her chicks, and give us victory.
He leads us in the battle, He is our Captain, who has gone before.
In Paleo Hebrew it means, “Life surrounds life everlasting.”
When His life surrounds us, we do not act out of fear, which brings defeat, He leads us into life!
His Name Goes Before Us
The Lord who is our Banner, our victory.
This name goes before us into battle.
The banner over our lives is love and victory.
Oh, what a glorious thing it is to be under the banner, covering and Lordship of Jesus!
Psalm 91 says that when we dwell under the shadow of the Most-High, under His wings; when we abide in Him, accept His role as Lord and Master of our lives, we benefit from and receive His protection and He causes us to walk in victory.
Do we accept His Lordship, or do we kick against the goads and fight against it?
I know that there are times when parts of me have wanted my own way and to be in charge, mainly because of a lack of trust.
Are we only happy to be under His banner when does things our way?
Are we willing to submit under His banner?
Do we trust Him completely to be the shepherd of our lives, or are we at least growing in it?
Are we willing to be under His banner and stand with those brethren who may think differently from us?
“All of my ambitions, hopes and plans, I surrender these into your hands”?
Psalm 133 says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. There the Lord commands the blessing, even life forevermore.”
When we trust and submit to Him we are victorious in Jesus.
More than conquerors and destined to overcome.
We overcome the world, by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony.
We have been raised with Christ and are seated with Him in the Heavenly Places, winning battles from our position seated in Christ.
We see the victory from the place that victory is won, at the cross.
We fight to enter the promised land, entering into the fullness of salvation of all He has provided.
The staff which Moses lifted up over the battle symbolized God’s authority, he was lifting up God’s authority over the battle.
The Banner of Salvation
God’s banner of salvation is an illustration of God’s protection over us.
Jesus Himself is our banner of salvation!
God’s banner identifies those who belong to Him! (Isaiah 11.10-12)
The enemy sees the banner over us and flees at His name.
God goes before us and over us.
Jesus is the Rallying Point!
Jesus is the rallying point of His people!
It is clear where we need to go and who we need to go to.
“See, I will beckon to the gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples, they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.” Isaiah 49.22
His banner is the cross.
If we rally to His standard, we have already won the fight.
There are many more battles to come, but He is our victory and goes before us, over spiritual battles and forces.
His banner is a rallying point in the face of attack.
In the midst of the battle, He is where we must gather.
In the fray, His banner is lifted up as a signal of victory and leadership.
The enemy sees God, before he sees us, he sees who represents us and acts on our behalf.
His banner goes before us, remember, Jesus said, “Anyone who rejects you is rejecting me.”
But we are also protected by Him and have His seal upon us and it is this which goes before us.
“Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before.”
If He is Lifted Up
“In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people. He will set up a banner for the nations.” Isaiah 11.10
Jesus said, “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself.” John 12.32
Jesus was lifted up on the cross and lifted in His ascension to Heaven, His banner over us is love.
Ever since that day, the nations have been streaming to come to Him, flocking to His banner.
I am one of them, are you?
The Lord My Miracle
Prayer is the battlefield on which we fight.
Like a boxer in the boxing ring, we must have our feet firmly planted on the Rock of Christ as our foundation, so that when the blows of opposition come, nothing can knock us off-balance.
And praise is the weapon which goes ahead of us.
Praise comes before a victory, as we surrender to His plans.
In Joshua 6.1-27 The Lords sent out the worshippers before the walls of Jericho fell.
An unconventional tactic for waging war perhaps, but Jesus (Yehovah Messiah Pre-Incarnate in this passage) is an expert in warfare and gives us the victory!
They praised in obedience to His instructions, BEFORE they saw the victory!
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood.
We put on the full armour of God.
There is no retreat, the Lord is our rear guard, protecting us from a rear attack, we only go forward.
He is the Existing One.
His banner over us is love
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.