May 23, 2019

Prepare for the Battle

Casey Paulin

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Prepare for the Battle, But Expect the Grace

Every time we take the platform, we are stepping into a battlefield.

Whether it’s on a Sunday morning or a small prayer service.

For me personally, there’s usually a battle within myself either between distracting thoughts and the peace that the presence of God brings or between my own personal insecurities and the identity and validation that God has already spoken over me.

Then there’s the battles that every person brings when they walk through the doors of the church. Depression. Sickness. Relational issues. Their own insecurities. They bring expectant hearts before the Lord, ready to receive some sort of healing or balm from the presence of God that enters the room as we begin to worship. Worship led by people like me, who are supposed to be conduit’s and carriers of God’s presence. Ready to war for them and with them through whatever their issue is.

I am well of aware of these unseen, but very real, battles that are happening as I take the platform. That is why I always endeavor to fervently and dutifully prepare the closer the assignment gets: mentally, spiritually, and practically.

But the Lord never ceases to surprise me. He gets me every time.

When the time finally comes to go to war, not just for the people I’m about to sing over but also for myself, I am always met with the peace and grace of God.

My own distracting thoughts and the weight of other people’s battles no longer trouble me because the Lord gives me the grace that He has always promised to provide. The grace to help me do His will when I need it most.

Hebrews 4:16

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

I’ve experienced His grace so often now, that it robs me of ever using my own insecurities as an excuse not to complete the assignment that God has assigned me to. Because I know that no matter what’s going on inside or around me, the Lord will be faithful to help me in my time of need.

You may not be a worship leader or involved in music in anyway, but the Lord has assigned all of us to serve his Kingdom in some way. Whatever your assignment is, do your part to make sure that you are as ready as you can be to execute it when the time comes. But always remember that God’s with you every step of the way. He won’t fail you.

Prepare for the battle, but expect the grace of God to cover you, to carry you, and to see you through.

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