Going To War
The first eight verses of Deuteronomy twenty read:
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”
Sunday after Sunday, we go to war. It’s not much of a stretch since we are engaged in warfare whenever we open our mouths and declare God’s praise.
But because going to church meetings (at least in the USA) has become a commodity (something deemed consumable, taken or left, non-essential), your worship teams may often be thinner during June, July, and August.
Are you feeling a pinch in your scheduling? Be of good cheer!
Re-read the verses above, imagining Moses talking to worship teams instead.
Did you do it?
For real?
Ok, so here are four things I see.
A small, fully committed team is better than a large, distracted, preoccupied, disinterested team.
The LORD is with you, and that categorically changes everything.
There may be many good reasons people can be given a pass from serving on the team.
Anything unpleasing to the LORD that one team member is walking in will infect and affect your team.
What do you take away from this?
-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
Going To War (Nº 333)
