Is God "For" Us?

Introduction: Oftentimes, when hard times and challenges arise, we wonder where God is in the midst of our struggles. It can even seem sometimes as if God is our adversary, constantly out to get us. Sometimes, when we don’t know what God is going to do, we may wonder—“God, are you for me or against me? God, are you on my side?”

As the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land and fight the fortified city of Jericho, they had the same question. Is God on our side? This passage in Joshua 5 sheds some light on this and has a lot to tell us today as well.

Prayer for illumination

Joshua 5:13–15 ESV

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Background info: The commander of the army of Yahweh is Yahweh himself—probably the pre-incarnate Christ.

Numbers 22:31 (ESV)

31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.

Exodus 3:2–6 (ESV)

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

So, Joshua doesn’t realize it at first, but quickly figures it out

As Joshua faces this mighty warrior with a drawn sword, he’s understandably nervous. “Is this an enemy or one of our soldiers? Friend or foe?”

A Better Question: “Are Yahweh’s people ‘for’ Him?”

God does not exist to do our bidding, we exist to do his.

The allure of idolatry is a god who exists to serve ME.

(I’m not suggesting that Joshua was idolatrous when he asked if the Angel of Yahweh was ‘for’ him. But rather that if we see God as being primarily on our side, this almost inevitably leads to idolatry, or at best, a severely distorted view of God.)

This is what plagued Israel from day one—viewing God as their personal genie in a bottle.

This still plagues us today! “If God was for me, he wouldn’t have allowed ____ to happen! If God was for me, he would do ____ for me!”

Implications for our prayer life:

Prayer should not be primarily a list of wants and needs.

Focus should be upon God’s Kingdom and aligning our will with his.

Matthew 6:9–13 (KJV 1900)

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

In your prayers, do you pray like this? Do you ask God to align your heart with his, to make his will your own?

When you get a bad diagnosis, do you ask for healing or for a heart that honors God no matter the outcome?

When your relationship with your boss at work deteriorates and you feel that termination is looming, do you pray for the situation to change or that you might glorify God through it regardless?

When you see in the news that 98 Afghan refugees will be coming to Arkansas, do you pray for protection from the terrorists that might be among them, or do you thank God for opportunities for Muslims to hear and respond to the gospel?

What kinds of prayer requests does Paul lift up in his letters to the churches? Prayers for protection? Safety? Health?

Paul talks about praying for strength to resist sin, general prayers for other believers, prayer for restoration of weak brothers, prayers to thank God for the faith of others, for open doors to proclaim the gospel and the boldness to do it, for opportunities to encourage other believers,

Col. 1:9-10 “9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

In fact, I couldn’t find a single example in the Pauline Epistles where Paul ever prayed for or requested prayer for physical healing, protection from persecution, or much of what predominates our prayer lists today.

Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t pray for healing or deliverance from difficult times. James tells us explicitly that we ought to do so. James 5:13-15 “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” The example of Christ in the Gospels is very clear that he cared for the sick and hurting. But if most of the prayers recorded in the New Testament are about aligning our will with God’s, and if the first part of the Lord’s Prayer is about God’s Will and his Kingdom purposes, why don’t these topics show up in our prayer lists?

Could it be that we have adopted a view of God that sees him as our personal genie in a bottle, a soldier in OUR army, someone to do OUR bidding?

Implications for our battles—they should be God’s battles.

God should be the originator of our dreams and desires, not an afterthought.

God should be the sustainer of our efforts, not merely someone we call when we get stuck and need help.

God’s glory should be the goal of our efforts, not our own glory.

Why do you do what you do? Why do you do your job? Why are you married? Why do you have kids? What are you fighting for? Why? Is God the origin of your desires? Does your desire to be a good husband, wife, father, mother, employee, etc. come from a conviction that this is what God has called you to? Are you relying upon God and his strength to do it? Is God’s glory your goal in it?

Now, I don’t want you to think that God is not ‘for’ you, because that’s clearly not true. Rom. 8:31 “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

So, if God is not ‘for’ us in the sense that he’s going to give us whatever we want and be our personal genie, then what comfort and promise do we have?

A Better Promise: “Yahweh himself will fight your battles.”

When we are for God, he is for us.

Joshua 1:6–9 (ESV)

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God promised to be with Joshua and the Israelites in the Conquest.

The battle plan originated with God, not Joshua.

God promised to sustain them with his Word.

God’s glory was the ultimate goal of the conquest.

God guaranteed his presence with them and their victory so long as they followed him. The Israelites could be confident in battle because they were fighting God’s battles, not their own, and God was going to do the fighting for and through them.

When we get our priorities right, God is on our side.

Jesus put it like this: Mt 6.33-34 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

He fights our battles because our battles are really his battles!

We can pray with confidence knowing we will receive what we desire because our desires are his desires.

We will find ourselves in the presence of the Lord.

This eliminates fear and worry.

If you’re wrapped up in your own ambitions and desires and not seeking God, then you have every right to worry and doubt that God will give you what you ask for—he probably won’t!

But if you’re seeking God, putting him first in your life and praying for God to make his will known to you, praying for God to help you glorify him in the midst of your trials, that’s a prayer he’ll always answer!

Exodus 14:10–14 (ESV)

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

When you put God’s will first in your trials, he fights the battles for you, and he is a mighty warrior!

So, how should we approach God in the midst of trials and uncertainty?

A Better Approach: Worshipful Obedience.

Joshua 5:14–15 (ESV)

14 ...And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua worshipped.

Recognize God’s sovereignty over the situation

Worship his goodness and mercy

Know that he knows all and has your best at heart.

Joshua inquired about God’s will.

Seek his will

It’s not wrong to lift up an uncertain request with “nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.”

Be willing to do whatever God asks

Joshua carried out God’s will.

Then, do it!

Don’t waver (James 1:6-7 “6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;” )

Conclusion

Are you for God?