https://odb.org/2026/08/24/fighting-for-you
Exodus 14:10–18 (NIV): 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
Jim’s legacy is one of passionate defense of his family. We, too, have a passionate defender who has promised to take our place in the ring. When the Israelites faced Pharaoh’s mighty army after their escape from slavery in Egypt, they were terrified and cried out to God. “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” they foolishly said (Exodus 14:12). But Moses replied in faith, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (v. 14). And without any action from the Israelites, their enemies were literally swept away by the sea as God supernaturally ended the battle before it even began. Sometimes it feels like we’re facing the trials of life or arrows from the enemy, Satan, on our own (see Psalm 91:5). But God’s with us (Deuteronomy 31:6), and He fights for us; we need only to be still. (Karen Pimpo, Our Daily Bread 24th August 2026)
While the LORD did all the work for the Israelites when He delivered them out of Egypt, Joshua and Caleb had to fight to conquer the Promised Land as Canaan had fortified cities, strong armies and giants (sons of Anak). Real battles were fought with the surrounding nations of Canaan where there was bloodshed and casualties. Yes, there were miraculous interventions – for example, the walls of Jericho and some armies flee just hearing about God fighting the battle for the Israelites. It nevertheless required the taking up of arms to take over and conquer lands. Even in modern times, Israel fought many real wars since its inception in 1948.
But having God on their side means that when it matters, they can win decisively. When they are outnumbered, they can still win when the LORD creates confusion amongst the enemy. When their morale is low, the LORD lifts up their spirit to fight on. But they need to wear their armour, draw their swords, mount their chariots and horses and go to battle. Even when Nehemiah was rebuilding the Temple many many years after Moses and Joshua, he had half of the men working and the other half keeping guard with swords.
Our day to day lives are lived by us. We face the deadlines, the assignments, the work tasks. We look at the reality of our bank account. How much money we have to put food on our table, pay bills and meet the necessities of living. As much as God is with us, these are not battles fought by God for us. We are plain lazy and conceited to think that God fights all of our battles for us. I learned this lesson during my varsity days when I saw my fellow ministry trainees failing their exams when they didn’t pay attention in class and study properly. Serving God doesn’t take away our responsibility as a student. The Lord will not face our exams for us. But if we had put in the effort and yet honoured Him by serving Him, He could help us make the difference for those difficult questions.
There are spiritual battles that are beyond us. Generational curses. Territorial strongholds. The edge between mediocrity and brilliance. These are the battles the Lord will fight for us. When we engage in spiritual warfare, intercessory prayer – these are battles angelic forces will fight for us in the spiritual realm. Difficult issues at work, in our family or even in church, we commit them to the Lord and ask Him to fight those battles for us. But in our day to day living, we need to go out there to work to earn our living while serving Him by answering His call for our lives. All these battles we fight ourselves like the foot soldiers in Joshua’s or David’s armies. But Yahweh is with us with His providence, provision and protection and that’s really what’s matters! In all that we do, the battles we fight, we want the God’s grace to be upon us. That to me is the real meaning of God will fight our battles.
Have a good week ahead, everyone!
