SOUND THE BATTLE CRY

by CharlesRobey
(Trussville, AL USA)

"The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior He will stir up His zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over His enemies." (Isaiah 42:13)

President Donald Trump recently issued a battle cry — for family, for freedom, for country, and for God. To this, I give a big hearty Amen. What a country we would have if our value system, personally and collectively, were to answer this battle cry. (Revelation 11:15,17)

How do we Christians raise our Battle Cry? Simply put, it is by our prayers. For all of you who do not have an imagination, prayer opens the floodgates to the throne of God. And with all the weapons of prayer, at our disposal, all we have to do is speak it in faith. (Hebrews 11:1,6) When we personally and collectively give God a moment of our time, He will always hasten to hear on our behalf. (Psalm 54:6-7)

So, when was the last time you prayed to Father God, on behalf of your family, your freedom, and your country? (We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. The Declaration of Independence)

I realize oftentimes it is hard to wrap our minds around the fact that our all-powerful, all-knowing Heavenly Father God wants to talk with us. After all, what can we tell Him that He doesn't already know? Much like our earthly fathers, He knows but He wants to hear it from us. (Psalm 27:8)

No matter how much we go to church, or how much Christian music we listen to, we can never thank Him enough for His many blessings to us and to our country. Simply take a moment out of your busy day and praise Him in prayer. (Psalm 118:28)

You see, as a country and as a people, we have a lot of catching up to do, in talking things over with our heavenly Father. And catch up we will, for nothing is impossible with God. (Matthew 19:26)

And you don't need to close yourself off in a dark, soundproof hurricane closet to reach out to Him. Just come to Him, at any time and at any place, and He will surely answer your call. (1 Thess. 5:17)

The more we go to Him in prayer, no matter where we may be, the more we learn how to communicate with Him, rather than just rushing in with whatever may be on our mind at the moment. We learn how to praise Him more by reaching out to deeper depths of thankfulness. And more importantly, we learn how to be brutally honest about our sins. (1 John 1:9)

Realizing, of course, as mere humans, we will always have our doubts and questions. However, prayer is the key to showing us how to wrestle and overcome these concerns. You see, when we give ourselves up completely to Him, questions and all, He is able to turn these concerns into an assurance of His power. (Psalm 118:21)

Wrestling with the enemies is nothing new. (Ephesians 6:11-12) However, where Satan and his many minions are concerned, we should always refer to them as our adversaries by praying that they are removed from our thoughts.

Even King David, like us today, had certain concerns about his enemy. (Psalm 5:9-10; 69:28; 139:19-22; 140:4-11) However, God's main message is to bless and not curse. (Romans 12:14) You see, when we fill our prayers with His Word, as did King David (2 Timothy 3:16), these Bible promises will help us to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)

God's Spirit will indeed help us in our weaknesses, and prayer is the key that will enable us to humbly open our hearts to Him. We will find a renewed vigor and many blessings. (Ephesians 3:20)

Just remember the adversary, Satan himself, may be pressing you from all sides, but you have Christ at your side. (Isaiah 42:16) He will never let you slip or fall. Nor, will He ever let you be tempted above what you can endure. (1 Cor. 10:13)

So go to it with gusto, giving out that "Battle Cry" for family, for freedom, for country, and for God. (2 Timothy 2:13) Never give up the ship! (Exodus 3:11, 4:13) Amen!

(Sound The Battle Cry, William F. Sherwin)

1.Sound the battle cry! See, the foe is nigh;
Raise the standard high for the Lord;
Gird your armor on, stand firm every one;
Rest your cause upon His holy Word.
Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner,
Ready, steady, pass the word along;
Onward, forward, shout aloud Hosanna!
Christ is Captain of the mighty throng.

2.Strong to meet the foe, marching on we go,
While our cause we know, must prevail;
Shield and banner bright, gleaming in the light,
Battling for the right we ne'er can fail.
Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner,
Ready, steady, pass the word along;
Onward, forward, shout aloud Hosanna!
Christ is Captain of the mighty throng.

3.O! Thou God of all, hear us when we call,
Help us one and all by Thy grace;
When the battle's done, and the vict'ry's won,
May we wear the crown before Thy face.
Rouse, then, soldiers, rally round the banner,
Ready, steady, pass the word along;
Onward, forward, shout aloud Hosanna!
Christ is Captain of the mighty throng.

Author's Postscript

With all the dissident activity apparently attempting to gain political traction in America today, what this country needs more than anything else is prayer, much prayer. Before America's last general election, I felt led, as did millions of others, to commit our country to prayer. For we know that God's providential sovereignty is always at work in every aspect of His creation. However, as a people, we must not give up now. More than ever before, what this country needs is prayer. We must continue the fight. Like this great song dictates, we must "Sound the battle cry, For the foe is nigh." Amen!

"Through you we push back our enemies; through Your Name we trample our foes. I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but You give us victory over our enemies, You put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise Your Name forever. (Psalm 44:5-8)