The era we live in today is one full of dangers and confusion, where we often feel like we are being troubled on every side. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is finally coming under control, yet the Delta variant is menacing. Apart from the seemingly endless pandemic, life also exposes us to various pressures. In terms of personal life, family, interpersonal relationships, and even the reopening of the church, we are faced with great difficulties, and many seem to be unsolvable.
A megachurch pastor encouraged Christians to remember "our God is the God who leads us to victory in all the difficulties of our lives" amid the situation of being troubled on every side.
In his recent sermon, Pastor Tong Liu of River of Life Christian Church in Silicon Valley, the United States said, “In the Bible, God revealed to us a name of His, Jehovah Nissi.”
“Nissi means ‘banner’,” said the pastor. "It means victory. Jehovah Nissi means that the Lord is our victory. Our God is the God who leads us to victory in all the difficulties of our lives. Amen!"
"As the apostle Paul wrote, 'We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed'. If you look at the environment that Paul was in at the time, it was indeed being pressed on every side. That was really being troubled on all sides - it is not an exaggeration, is it? Then why did he say 'I'm not crushed' in such circumstances? He gave his answer in 2 Corinthians 4:7: ‘…we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.’”
“As Christians, we are no different from the people of the world in terms of appearance, and perhaps no different in terms of circumstances either. But one thing is different, that is, there is a power in us from God. This power is the power that raised Jesus from the dead,” Liu added.
“The power of the Lord’s resurrection is working in you today," he said. “What God can accomplish for you is far beyond your imagination, even when your ability to imagine is limited... No matter what environment we are in, even with the Delta outbreaks surrounding us on all sides, we can still say that we are not crushed by the pandemic, as Paul did."
When God revealed his name "Jehovah Nissi" to Israel, the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites. In the Bible, the Amalekites and the Israelites were long-standing enemies against each other. The battles between the Amalekites and the Israelites were often depicted as spiritual battles faced by the people of God. When Joshua was about to lead the people of Israel to fight the Amalekites, Moses made a confident statement, "Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
"Moses was declaring that no matter what your yesterday and today were, you could be sure that you have a tomorrow, and you could trust that your tomorrow was in the hands of God. You need to know that God has a plan in your lives. When God looks at our life, He does not only see our past and present as we do. He sees our future because He has a plan."
"Remember this: forgetting what is behind and striving towards what is ahead. It is not a one-off thing, but we should continuously and constantly forget what is behind and strive towards what is ahead. Because we know that there is a goal in front of us. Therefore we do not forget just once but keep forgetting, and not strive forward just once, but keep striving forward."
Moses could lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, despite wandering in the wilderness, because God’s promise was with him. No matter how difficult the situation was, he was able to move forward courageously. When he stood in front of the Pharaoh and said “allow us to go”, he could speak boldly with the staff of God in his hand, since he knew that he had access to victory because of the promise of God.
The pastor claimed, "You have God's promise on you, and you have the authority that God’s promises bring to you. So don't live like a person without God's promise, being chased by the enemy all day long. You must cling on to God’s promise of victory. Don’t stay at the bottom of the valley. God does allow us to pass through the bottom of the valley sometimes, yet God’s will is not to let us stay there, but for us to stand on the top of the mountain and declare God’s victory."
"Prayer is always the ultimate key to victory." Pastor Liu explained, "What was Moses doing while standing on top of mountain holding a staff? If he was just standing there to watch the battle, he would be very anxious. But Moses not only declared victory by faith standing on top of the mountain, he also held up his hands and prayed (Exodus 17:11)."
"Standing on the top of the mountain, Moses held up his hands to pray. So similarly, today when you face difficulties in your life, be sure to rise up and pray for your battles. If you just watch the battles that you are facing, you will also be very anxious. When you are facing the Delta variant outbreaks becoming more and more serious, when you see that the public order and moral standards of society are getting worse, when you see your family and even your children being attacked by the enemy, you will become very anxious if the only thing you do is to watch. You can’t just watch, you must get up and pray, and keep praying."
"So we don't at all need to be afraid and anxious about the environment and battles we are facing today. Instead, we are taught here to rise up for the Lord and pray continually. Apart from praying individually, we also join together with our brothers and sisters in prayer."
Pastor Liu concluded, “When Moses began to pray, suddenly the battle no longer became a battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites, but a battle between the Lord God and the Amalekites. When Moses prayed, the very nature of the battle changed.”
- Translated by Grace Song
