When God says it's over...

         Battles must come to an end. As hard as that is to believe sometimes, especially when we're going through, they do come to an end. Here's the thing: sometimes we need just as much faith at the end of the battle as when we were going through. Why? Because sometimes, although God has assured us it is over, our eyes are seeing the opposite of what God has told us. This is where faith once again kicks in. We are reminded that it's not a 'sight' walk but a 'faith' walk. Even when it doesn't seem as if it's over, once God says it then that settles it!
          Many times in the Old Testament, God told the children of Israel that they had won the battle even before they actually fought the battle. They trusted in His Word and went to battle with confidence even when the enemy numbers were much larger than their own. Think of King Jehoshaphat and that great army he saw coming against Him. He went immediately to God for help and what did God say? That the battle was not theirs but His (2 Chronicles 20:15) and that all they had to do was to stand still and see how He would deliver them (V. 17). In other words the battle was won even before it began. As a matter of fact, all they had to do was to praise and worship Him (vv. 21-22). When they did that, when they started to thank Him, He caused their enemies to destroy each other. They didn't have to lift a finger, just thank God! When they went to look at their enemies, there they were lying dead on the ground (v. 24)! When God told them to trust Him, they had no clue how He was going to do it but He did. The battle was already over even before it started. All they had to do was to trust and thank God. We must do the same. From the foundations of the earth God knew the end of the problem even before it began. Even when we can't see it , if God says it's over then it's over. It's not about what we see or feel or think. It's about the assurance He gives us that it's over. We just have to look with expectation for the end.
          Even in my own life, when God gave the assurance at times that the battle was over, I had to trust Him even when it meant having to go through a period of waiting. My ears and heart might have heard the particular situation was over but my 'eyes' had to wait a little longer to actually 'see' it come to pass. And even as I waited, I had to trust Him and be patient knowing that His timing was and is always perfect.
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