Two More in the Battle
Before We Gather by Zach Hicks
| Scripture
Read Romans 8:26-27;33-34
| Devotion
It’s a trope in almost every movie that has an epic battle scene.
We’re talking about that moment when the hero has been knocked down and the rest of the forces of good have been defeated. All seems to be lost, and the viewer is left without hope. But then the reinforcements that we never thought would be there–nor even could be there-arrive. And even though it’s a trope, we’re moved by it, every single time.
I think of that now-classic battle scene at the end of Avengers: End Game, when Captain America stands alone before Thanos, exhausted and bloodied. Thanos’s mighty army assembles, and Captain America in his “I could do this all day” courage, struggles to his feet and tightens the leather strap on his shield. We admire and pity him. He’s headed to his death. But then, the sparking circles begin to appear portals through which come the mighty reinforcements we all thought were gone for good. Seemingly every character from every last Marvel movie shows up, and with renewed boldness, Captain America growls, “Avengers, assemble!” And the war begins.
We should have a similar feeling every time we assemble for worship. It’s not a metaphor to say that worship is war. God’s inspired worship songs-the psalms are filled with martial language. And Jesus’ third and final temptation in the wilderness is evidence enough that, among all the things the enemy hopes to take down, distort, and supplant, he is opposed most of all to the worship of God (Matt. 4:8-10).
We’re often tempted to think that we go to this battle alone, that we’re left to ourselves. God has called us to worship, and we are obligated to assemble and give him glory. And though that’s not entirely untrue, it falls painfully short of telling the story of God’s involvement in worship. You see, every time we worship, God sends reinforcements. We’re not alone. And these reinforcements aren’t just ordinary beings. They’re actually God himself. God comes alongside us to aid us in his own worship.
Christians talk a lot about the power of “prayer warriors” in our lives–people who are mighty in prayer, who go before God on our behalf. The Scriptures tell us that we have the two strongest prayer warriors surrounding us and leading the charge in the prayer battle of gathered worship: the second and third persons of the Trinity, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8 tells us that the Son and Spirit are two advocates who are constantly interceding for us, two prayer warriors going ahead of us into battle. The Spirit goes ahead to pray the prayers that we don’t know how to pray because either our minds and hearts are too small to pray rightly, or we’re too beaten down by suffering to offer to God anything coherent (Rom. 8:26-27). The Son goes ahead of us to provide not only protection but also perfection. Our passage says that he is at the right hand of God interceding for us (v. 34), and we learn from the book of Hebrews that his advocacy is particularly the ongoing pleading of the perfection of his holy life (Heb. 7:23-28) and the finished work of his sacrificial death (Heb. 9:11-28).
What amazing news! As we come to worship, we are not alone in our quest for God and in our battle against the works of dark- ness. And not only do we have reinforcements, we also have the most powerful ones. Not only do we have advocates and defend- ers, we have the most convincing, most persuasive champions of grace and forgiveness-the Son and the Spirit, who both share in and enjoy the delight of God the Father. And they invite us, wherever we are whether weary or energized, whether anxious or at peace–to join their ranks and fall in line behind their capable leadership. Fear not, O Christian, for the battle ultimately is not yours but God’s (2 Chron. 20:15).
| Prayer
Aim your prayers in this direction:
- Pray that worship today would be marked by a tangible awareness of the two advocates in your midst–the Son and the Spirit.
- Pray for sufferers in your congregation who particularly need a sense that the Spirit is with them, groaning their deeper, incoherent prayers. Ask for the peace and comfort that only the Spirit can give.
- Pray for those who feel guilty coming into worship-who are hiding secret sins and bearing shame too dark to utter. Pray that they would find the freedom of the Son’s forgiving work so relieving and overwhelming that they are finally able to let go and worship in the light.
- Pray that those who greet people as they arrive, along with the other members of the worshiping body, would be used by God as “hands and feet” of the ministry of the Son and Spirit in the worship service, offering grace, compassion, and comfort to other worshipers.