2 Chronicles 32:7-8 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
We just had the privilege of reading the battle speech of King Hezekiah of old towards his army. Now instead of trying to rally his troops with encouraging words that stimulate their adrenaline or making promises of what will await them if they were to be successful, Hezekiah shared the truth with them: "There are more with us than with our enemy."
Wait, uuuhm, anybody that could've counted to 10 would've been able to know that Judah was completely and utterly outnumbered by the Assyrians, but then again, that's if you looked at the enemy through the flesh.
You see, Hezekiah turned the attention away from the enemy and reminded them who was with them—the LORD!. And even though the Assyrians seemed stronger in manpower, with the LORD by their side, they had all the help and strength they ever needed.
Did you know our brother John also reminded all believers in Christ of exactly the same thing? John knew we too stare at an enemy every day that always seems to be stronger and louder and larger than us, feeling outnumbered, and that's why John, like Hezekiah, reminded us of the truth.
Of course Christians will daily experience the spirit of the antichrist all around them, which tries hard to intimidate us to reckon how the ungodliness of the world is taking over, but the thing is, John wrote, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Aaah hallelujah!
You see, just like Hezekiah told his people that when the Lord is with us, we are not the ones who are outnumbered, John reminded us that through Christ, we are God's children, and guess what?... Greater is He who is in us and with us than he that is in the world.
All of a sudden, for a Christian, being strong and courageous doesn't refer to your willpower or positive mindset; it's all about your faith in Christ, a faith that's built completely on who the Lord is and that He is with you!
How awesome is it to know that in Christ, the words of Hezekiah of old are ever so true for us as believers in Christ, especially with 1 John 4:4 also in mind, as we too get to confess, despite our enemies: But with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.
Amen.