One of my favorite theologians, Dr. Karl Barth, wrote in 1914 as the world was speeding headlong into World War I:

It is simply out of the question that God ‘helps’ the Germans or the French or the English. God does not even ‘help’ us Swiss. God helps justice and love. God helps the kingdom of heaven, and that exists across all national boundaries…
The foolish mixing of patriotism, war enthusiasm, and Christian faith could one day lead to the bitterest disappointment…We will not join in drinking this intoxicating potion. We want to look steadfastly and unwaveringly here to God, who loves everyone equally, who is above all the nations, from whom all have similarly departed, and from whose glory they have fallen short.

Nothing wrong with being a patriot. Nothing wrong with loving your country. Nothing wrong with being proud of being American.

But when our love for our country usurps our love for God and all of God’s people…that is terribly wrong.

• “God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:11).
• “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

We are all God’s children. We are all equally sinners in need of God’s grace and forgiveness.

When we get to heaven, there will not be partitions for Russian Christians, American Christians, Korean Christians. All Christians will be present in the throne of God’s grace. That’s who we are – we are Christians first before any other identity.

One of the worst days in the history of the world…

This is the day after. They saw Jesus die. How could Jesus die? Wasn’t he supposed to be the Messiah? Wasn’t he the one whom they had been waiting for all their lives to finally restore Israel to her former glory?

But it happened. They saw it. Jesus died. Jesus was buried. The body of Jesus was decomposing like all other bodies.

Was any of what Jesus promised even true? Didn’t he say that he was the Son of God? How could the Son of God die? And at the hands of the Romans.

Holy Saturday.

This was the day all the women – Mary the Mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene – sat huddled weeping at what they witnessed the day before.

Holy Saturday.

This was the day all the disciples were hidden away in a room wondering what they were supposed to do now. They had deserted their families, quit their jobs, and traveled around with a man claiming to be God’s Son…and then he died. Just like everyone else.

Holy Saturday.

This was the day that hope for all who believed in Jesus died.

Holy Saturday.

All of hell rejoiced in their “victory”. The Son of God had been vanquished. All hope had been extinguished.

Holy Saturday.

This was the day God was preparing all of eternity for the resurrection. This was the day the Son of God descended into hell to pay the debt of sin. This was the day that the Son of God stood in the place of sinners to atone for their sins.

Do you find yourself in a season where nothing makes sense? Where God seems absent? Where hope seems dead?

Just as God was at work during Holy Saturday, God is at work in your life. Trust God. God’s got this.

“Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22).

Great! I can just sit back and keep scrolling on my phone while God does all the work! Sign me up!!!

Only if it worked that way.

So what is God saying?

The context of this passage is that Moses is going to die. God has chosen Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Moses reminds Joshua of all the ways God has led them thus far. Joshua, himself, has seen how God has sustained them through the 40 years in the wilderness.

As the mantle of leadership passes from Moses to Joshua, Moses tells Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.”

We learn two important spiritual truths:

First, the victory belongs to the LORD. It is God who leads. It is God who guides.

AND Joshua must lead the Israelites into battle and the Israelites must fight as if their lives depended on it…because it does.

When it comes to spiritual victories God will certainly lead us and guide us. But we still need to train. We still need to pray, study God’s word, worship, serve, give. We still need to do all the things that God has given us to grow in the faith. Faith growing and spiritual maturity will not happen as we sit on our butts. God will do it, but we must do our part.

That’s the partnership of spiritual maturity.

Now get busy doing your part!