In every chapter of life,
There are struggles -
Demons that relentlessly attack
My heart and my soul.
The struggle is inevitable -
This is common knowledge
For all mankind.
But despite the shared struggle,
I fight to fight alone.
I am the one in the middle of this,
The thick of it,
The heart of the struggle.
I am the one fighting to survive.
Day by day
Trial after trial
I say that I can handle this.
I know me better than you.
You just don’t understand.
It is my war to win.
I am stronger than you think I am.
I’ve put in the work, Lord,
Just let me take care of this!
But then I realize that I have it all wrong.
Yes, I am the one in the middle of the struggle.
Yes, I am fighting to survive.
But I am not alone.
Not one part of me was designed to work alone.
I have been fighting against community
But not only against community,
Against communion with the One
The One in whose image I was created.
In fighting to fight alone,
I have fought against the Divine.
I have forgotten the Way
The Truth and the Life.
But just like David, I am stirred to remembrance...
God has gone before me,
And He is fighting for me.
He knows when I sit down and when I rise up.
He is acquainted with all my ways.
He is a man of sorrows who has
In every respect
Been tempted like I am
Yet without sin.
My Creator sympathizes with His created.
He knows grief personally -
not as an abstract concept,
But as an intimate experience.
He Himself met with sorrows, temptations, and loss.
He is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
He walks with me through the darkest valley
And comforts me along the way.
He is my gentle Shepherd.
He has gone before me as Creator
As Sovereign
As Provider
And as man.
A God who bears the title of El Elyon,
God Most High,
Bestows on me the title of philos -
A friend of God.
My pride and obstinance crash to the floor.
As I catch a glimpse
of the majesty of my God,
I surrender the fight -
The fight to fight alone.
No matter how hard I fought
And wrestled and believed to be alone,
God was there as my refuge and my strength
A very present help in trouble.
My Sovereign Friend and Father
Though the earth gives way
And my plans crumble to ash.
Though friends may fail me
And troubles may rise with the sun.
Though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil
For thou art with me.
I am not alone.
To the inexorable troubles
And temptations to come,
I proclaim this truth
And unwavering reality -
That my God fights for me.
The battle belongs to the Lord.
In this knowledge and with faith,
I surrender the fight -
The fight to fight alone.
If you have been trying to fight a battle all on your own, call out to God. I understand that you feel alone, but God is very near. He has more power than you and I will ever understand. Not only has he defeated sin for all mankind, but He has defeated death for all eternity. Surrender your struggle to the only one who is stronger - your Heavenly Father.
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