Alone in the battle?

Ever felt like you are the only one left?  Alone.  Defenseless.  On the verge of defeat.

This idea makes me think back to the countless dodge ball games I have played throughout my lifetime (my average may be high due to my involvement with youth ministry).  Dodge ball is great when your team is winning.  It’s not quite as fun when your team is getting beat.  It is even worse when there are just a few people left standing on your team to face the massive amount of people on the other team, who are now equipped with dodge balls and have one purpose in their minds - destroy you and your few remaining teammates.

There is only one situation that I think is worse than all these options.  It is that sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize that you are THE last person standing on your team.  No one else to help you.  No one else to defend you.  It is literally YOU verses the enemy.  You are completely ALONE in the battle.

Ever felt that way in life?

Those seasons come and go when we feel as if we are completely alone.  There are some people who felt the same throughout scripture that we can learn from and gain encouragement from.  Take David for example…

Multiple times in his life he had to flee just to stay alive…all because his enemies wanted him dead.  I am sure there were many moments (if you don’t believe me, just read Psalms) when David felt that he was the only one left standing on his team.  Saul wanted him dead - David had to run and hide in the wilderness.  His son Absalom wanted to be in power - David had to run and hide in order to survive.

My guess is that there were moments that he wondered where God was at in all of this.  Didn’t God anoint him to be king and take this position of leadership?  Where is all the help and support?

Yet David always recognized that he was NOT alone in the battle.  No matter what his feelings or surroundings would have him to believe, he always came back to his confident trust that God was with him - even in the most challenging seasons and situations.

In Psalm 55 we see David calling out to God for help from all of his enemies.  He understands that people would love to see him destroyed, but he also is confident of something more important!

“He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me.” (Psalm 55:18)

David was confident that even in the moments that he felt most alone in the battle, that he was never alone.  God was aware of where he was at and what he was walking through.

No matter what your battle is today, remember that you are not alone.  Moments come and go where we feel like people have deserted us, turned against us, or maybe we feel like we are in a battle against ourselves - and we have no one else to lean on or depend on.  You are not alone.

David could have easily lost all hope, given up and just allowed the enemy to have victory over him.  Thankfully he didn’t see that as a viable option.  We shouldn’t either.  It doesn’t matter how big the team is that opposes you…even if you feel like you are the last one standing - stand strong, because you are not alone.