Surrounded By The Enemy
There are many expressions that are used to communicate the sense of being surrounded by the enemy. “Between a rock and a hard place”, “no light at the end of the tunnel”, “no place of escape”, “under the circumstances”, and “trapped”, are just a few. It is a sense of hopelessness and despair. I am sure each one of us have had these feelings at some point in our lives. So what do we do when we find ourselves in the pit of despair? Give up? Eat worms, while we wallow in our self-pity? That is an option, but not one I would choose. So how do we get out of depression?
I have found several keys to living in emotional victory and, though surrounded by the enemy, ruling over them. The first key is to have God’s perspective. He is never “under the circumstances”, but over all. There was time in Israel’s history when the prophet Elisha was used by God to warn the king of the plans of their enemy, the king of Syria. The king of Syria was enraged against Elisha and sought to kill him. When he heard that Elisha was living in the town of Dothan, he sent a large army to destroy Elisha. When the servant of Elisha rose early in the morning and saw the city surrounded by an army of horses and chariots, his heart failed him. He cried out to his master: “Alas, my master, what shall we do?” Elisha told him not to be afraid, because the army with Elisha was more than the army of Syria. This did not make sense to the servant, because in the natural it was not so. The Syrian army was far greater than the inhabitants of Dothan. Elisha asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes and when his eyes were open he saw the magnitude of the Lord’s army. (II Kings 6.8-20)
God’s perspective is: “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” (Ps. 91.7) “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (I John 4.4) “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed.” (Isaiah 54.17) “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59.19) God is on the throne and He laughs at the plans of the enemy. His word is the final Word. Jesus prayed that we would not be taken out of the world, but that the world’s problems would not rule over us.
The second key is in the giving of thanks. When you feel under the circumstances, praise the Lord. Praise and thanksgiving are a powerful weapon against the enemy. Don’t let the circumstances dictate how you feel or your response to them. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to rejoice always and to give thanks in every circumstance. (Note: it is “in”, not “for”, every situation that we may find ourselves in.) If it were “for”, then we must resign ourselves to a fatalistic world view of “enchala” ou “que será será”. Thanksgiving is a statement of confidence and trust. It is knowing that all things work together for good to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8.28)
The third key to victory over depression is to enjoy the life you have. Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever circumstance he found himself in; whether it was a time of abundance or want. (Phil. 4.11-13) He knew that in Christ he could do all things. As long as there is life there is hope. So stop whining about what you don’t have and start enjoying life. God has placed an abundant table in the midst of our enemies. Don’t run from it; enjoy it.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Psalms 23.5; 110.2-3; 103.1-5; John 17.15; I Thess. 5.18; I John 4.4; Phil. 4.11-13