He will fight for us!

One of the major news stories of this past week has been the unanimous decision of the five judges of the UK Supreme Court, to vindicate Daniel and Amy McArthur, the Christian owners of the Asher Bakery in Northern Ireland, after a four-year legal battle in which the homosexual activist who had targeted the bakery - in a manner that could well have been described as entrapment - was supported, and funded, by the taxpayer! By the way, I suspect that the bakery is called the Asher Bakery on the basis of Gen.49:20. The aged patriarch, Israel (Jacob) is at the ends of his mortal life, and speaks over his sons. One of those sons was named Asher. "Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties." Perhaps someone can confirm (or refute) my suspicion!

Many of us, who have been praying for the McArthurs for all of those four years, are praising Almighty God for this decision. Many are also praising God for the release, also announced this week, of Pastor Andrew Brunson after more than two years in a Turkish prison, or under house arrest. Many of us continue to pray for Asia, the Pakistani mother whose appeal against the death sentence has finally been heard by the Supreme Court of that country, but who must now await their verdict.

However, it was the Asher Bakery case that made me think of the record of Gideon - especially the events recorded in the Book of the Judges, chapter 7. I encourage you to look up the story and read it for yourself. The part that I recalled is in verses 20 - 23: "... the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, “A sword for YHWH and for Gideon!” They stood every man in his place round about the camp, and all the [Midian] army ran; they cried out and fled. When they blew the three hundred trumpets, YHWH set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian."

The point is, of course, that the Children of Israel were faced with a (humanly speaking) superior force - yet faith in YHWH, and obedience to His instructions (even although, on the surface, they seemed crazy!), brought them victory. This was the first thing that Daniel McArthur did - He gave the glory to God for the victory.

I am reminded of another story from the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The citizens of Feldkirch, in Austria, were effectively under siege. Napoleon's massive army was preparing to attack. French soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town, which is situated on the Austrian/Swiss/Lichtenstein border. A council of the citizens was hastily summoned to decide if they should try to defend themselves, or display the white flag of surrender. 

It happened to be Resurrection Day, and the people had gathered in the church building. The pastor arose and said, "Friends, we have been counting on our own strength and, apparently, that has failed. As this is the day of our Lord's resurrection, let us just ring the bells, have our services as usual, and leave the matter in His hands. We know only our weakness, and not the power of God to defend us."

The Council accepted his plan, and the church bells rang. The enemy, hearing the sudden peal, concluded that the Austrian army had arrived, during the night, to defend the town. Before the worship service had ended, the French troops had broken camp and left!

You and I may be facing circumstances that threaten to crush us. Let us call out to the Lord; place our trust in Him; and depend on His almighty power. How He will respond is up to Him - but He will respond to the cries of His own people.