This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (I Jn. 5:4)
In the upper room, just before Gethsemane, Jesus said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The battleground is set: The world on one side, opposing God, appealing to man’s flesh, lust, pride, and wealth, yelling “more, more.” On the other side, God is whispering “come unto Me,” “know Me,” “commune with Me,” “walk with Me.” Today the battle, tomorrow the victory. Today the warrior, tomorrow the victor. The Christian warrior wins the victory when the boisterous voices of the world draw him closer to his precious Lord and Savior, inviting him to keep His commandments, to “follow Me.” God is not in the business of seeing to it that every minute of the Christian’s life is delightful and peaceful. No, that is what the believer can look forward to in his eternal heavenly home with Jesus. While on earth, the battle rages, sin and lust the weapons of the world. Scripture and prayer the weapons of faith. The faithful one endures in the battle, minute by minute, day by day, gradually relying on God’s Word more with each victory. He is the recipient of God’s grace and favor on the front lines of the earthly battle.
Michelangelo once said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” Today, the Lord, our Master Sculpturer, is chiseling away the superfluous material from our life. Sometimes the chips are quite large. Sometimes they are no more than marble dust. Whatever tool He is using to chisel us this day, we can be certain that like any master sculpturer, He is lovingly and carefully removing the unnecessary parts as He shapes and fine tunes us into His image for us.
Will you work against the Master Sculpturer today when the trials come, or will you be like that block of marble and allow the Lord to sculpt you into the image He desires for you to become, using His all-knowing, tender loving hands, skillfully and wisely cutting off what is not of Him? Whether He is making a tiny adjustment or a major modification, there is victory on the other side of the battle. The victory is yours when you surrender your life to your Creator, the Master Sculpturer. “This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song.”