Battle Belongs -- Brian Johnson and Phil Wickham

 

Jahaziel had a message (See picture of him here delivering the words from God’s Spirit when others were afraid – 2 Chronicles 20:14-17.), and it was that the “Battle Belongs” to Him. So don’t be afraid! The peoples of God had been told that before, but it must have been the passage of time and the danger right before their eyes that made them cower once more. If Brian Johnson and Phil Wickham could have known another fellow’s name, they might also have given some credit to a tattoo artist for an eye-catching phrase, because that’s what got this pair to thinking and recalling what Jahaziel had said so long ago. Their music radars were pretty active that day, and so they didn’t miss what He wanted them to recall. You might not think there’s a battle or some trouble in your path, but we all live on a planet where things happen, and we could feel overwhelmed. Do you have a plan? Listen to what Jahaziel told an army…it’s a different kind of foxhole strategy.  

 

So, I cannot remember if a tattoo has ever inspired any of the songs in this blog – but I don’t see the word ‘tattoo’ (or ‘body-art’!) listed among my labels, so this song story has reminded me of an axiom: each song has something unique about it. And, tattoo will be a new label from this point forward. Perhaps Brian and Phil had never encountered such an inspiration before, either. In 2019, Brian saw the tattoo with words that he thought said something that could be central to a song that he and Phil were tossing around. ‘I fight on my knees’, some anonymous person had said, and actually repeated by having it inscribed on themselves or someone else’s skin. By early in 2020, this pair of songwriters had worked up the song further by using a story in God’s word to provide more inspiration. It involved a couple of people with names that started with ‘J’ – Jehoshaphat and Jahaziel. Jehoshaphat the king was set to lead his army into battle against Ammon and Moab, and he admitted ‘…we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ (2 Chron 20:12). Jahaziel must have overheard this prayer, and God gave him Jehoshaphat’s answer – ‘It is God’s battle, not yours.’ (v.15) So, just follow His plan, and those scoundrels will beat themselves (vv. 16-23). And, the troops actually sang another song as part of this great plan – ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever’ (vv. 21-22). As Brian and Phil saw it, the ‘battle’ and ‘mountain’ were overcome with the words of that tattoo on their hearts, and the real-life historical example of the Israelites of the two ‘J’s’ beginning their mission with prayer, encouragement, and trust. ‘Victory’, ‘beauty’, ‘empty tomb’, and 'almighty fortress' are key phrases that Brian and Phil use to counter the ‘shadow’, ‘fear’, ‘ashes’, and the ‘cross’ that can make the warrior – even if he’s God-sent – hesitate for just a second. For them, even as the coronavirus threatened the world in 2020, the ‘Battle Belong(ed)’ still to Him. Just ‘fight on (your) knees’ to begin any struggle, and you’ll see how nothing is a struggle for God.

 

Phil said the Covid time was dark, and that ‘Battle Belongs’ was like a light, for himself as well as for others. So much noise and misdirection characterized that period, Phil related, that finding the truth was challenging; amidst all of that, he remembered that the song’s words provided hope, courage that otherwise would have been overcome by the confusion of the time. That sounds like what so often happens on a battlefield, sometimes referred to as the ‘fog of war’, when smoke and a cacophony try to shroud and drown out the One who can steer us through a mess. It might be too hard to see and hear standing upright, so getting closer to the ground is perhaps as useful as any advice we could hear. Get down!...that’s what you might hear, telling you how to best avoid the bullets and other flying objects. And, while you’re down there, look up, too.     

 

 

Read how the song was developed here: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/phil-wickham/battle-belongs

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jehoshaphat_and_the_people_mourning_-_the_prophecy_of_Jahaziel.png …This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931….found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahaziel .

Ah, Lord God – Jeremiah and Kay Chance

 

Her name is known, but anything more about Kay Chance is a mystery, other than the song with her name attached to it. Actually, she did not originally write “Ah, Lord God”, but instead the weeping prophet Jeremiah (see him depicted in the 17^th Century Rembrandt artwork, Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, here) did as a prayer to God (Jeremiah 32:17, 27); so, one more thing about which we can be certain is that Kay had opened her bible one day and was inspired to use Jeremiah’s opening words of a prayer as a musical echo of that ancient prophet’s verbalization of trust in the Lord. For her that day, perhaps Kay found something that washed over and covered her like a blanket when she read what Jeremiah had said to God in a most difficult and uncertain circumstance.  

 

Put yourself in Jeremiah’s shoes (or sandals) for a moment. What happened to him as chapter 32 of his prophecy opens must have seemed like a risky and unwise proposition. Jerusalem and what’s left of the southern kingdom (comprising the lands of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the Levites who served the Temple in Jerusalem) was already set to be overrun and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian horde (aka the Chaldeans), who had been besieging the city of David. And yet, God had already told Jeremiah to accept the offer to buy the field of his cousin Hanamel in Anathoth, Jeremiah’s hometown in Benjamin. What? Why? So my investment can go down the drain!? Talk about your insider trading tip – Jeremiah had the lowdown on what would happen, and yet God tells him to invest anyway. Make the deal official, with all the right documents signed in front of witnesses – what must those people have thought of Jeremiah’s business acumen! -- and have your trusted aide, Baruch, seal all of these deeds and other official papers in a clay jar for safekeeping. Jeremiah faithfully followed orders, despite what others may have thought. And then he prays, giving God his unswerving praise, but nevertheless concluding his prayer by seeming to ask for understanding – ‘why, Lord, did you want me to buy that field that is due to be overrun and fall into the hands of those wicked Chaldeans’? God does answer, reflecting back to Jeremiah a mirror-like question that echoes how Jeremiah’s prayer began -- “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (32:27) It’s as if God is reminding his prophet of his own words, and of his implicit trust just moments earlier as he lauded God’s might and purposeful conduct in saving his people from Egypt, and then in delivering their punishment for disobedience that had brought them to that point. ‘I will save them again, after this chastisement’, He replies. ‘Fields will (again) be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.’ (32:44) What Jeremiah came to understand was that what he did that day would foreshadow what God would do in a greater, broader way in the not-too distant future. Ah, Lord God, indeed!      

 

Jeremiah could not have been unaware that God’s tactical moves in shepherding His people, including His prophets, were part of a larger strategy that at the time seemed perplexing. Having His vision can seem like a bit of a stretch, if I’m honest. Faith is not an easy proposition, meaning that you might not have the reassurance right in front of you. And yet, knowing how God has worked among His people does tell me I need not be blind, either. I can see with other eyes, in my mind as I read about Him and reason out what His character calls me to believe and to do. It is having His Spirit that is most important. We don’t know any more information about Kay Chance and the episode in which she walked in 1976. But, she did know where to turn, in faith, to see how another faithful, trusting servant proceeded. He obeyed and then asked for understanding. That should tell you and me something about Him. It’s OK to have questions, as long as they aren’t tied to stubbornness, but rather to God-centered confidence.       

 

 

See information about the image here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_-_Jeremia_treurend_over_de_verwoesting_van_Jeruzalem_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg …The author died in 1669, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931….found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah

I Will Bless Thee, O Lord -- Esther Watanabe

 

We don’t know much about her, except that she was perhaps reading from the Psalms. Esther Watanabe was her name, and what she had to say around the year 1970 was personal, echoing what her musical ancestor, David, said on more than one occasion – “I Will Bless Thee, O Lord.” What David experienced, and what Esther would have noticed when she read his poetry, was that he had many reasons to thank and lift up God’s name, no matter what the circumstances. Maybe Esther didn’t have or need a vision of this God (like Ezekiel did [Ezekiel 1], as imagined in this 16^th Century work of art by Raphael) whom she wanted to bless. But it doesn’t take much imagination to ponder why Esther might have needed His presence, for the human condition has so many pitfalls that to say one never needs Him would be the anomaly, rather than the norm. What might be considered unusual, however, is the attitude to sing of His goodness when one is suffering; complaining and feeling desperately abandoned would perhaps be more appropriate. And David and the rest of us, probably Esther too in 1970, have felt that way, and yet where else can we go but to Him? Maybe it takes just one episode when it seems He indeed listens to coax a bit of faith and praise from deep within, even when trouble pays a visit.

 

We might not have specific information about Esther’s walk that day/s around 1970, but we could hypothesize that what David had to say in two of his psalms, Psalms 34 and 145, struck her as worthy of an ‘Amen’. Was she in the same situation or something similar to what David was going through when he crafted Psalm 34? The preface words to that one indicate David was feeling pretty upbeat in the wake of a strange episode, when he feigned madness before a king in order to escape danger. ‘…at all times’, David said, indicating that in trouble or comfort, or whatever might be an in-between situation, God was still worthy of acclaim. In that particular psalm, David indicated in multiple verses that danger and stress were present (vv.4, 6-7, 15, 17-19), so if these were multiple incidents, or even just the one with the foreign king, it dawned on David that he emerged unscathed from an impossible situation because God was protecting him. In Psalm 145, David again felt God’s protection in difficulties (in vv. 14 and 19), but the praise that arises from David’s heart in that poem is more about who God is, revealed in His ‘greatness’ (v. 3), His ‘mighty acts’ (v.4), His ‘majesty’ (v.5), and righteousness (v. 7). It is God’s character that causes the overflow of David’s heart in exaltation. That God’s goodness and His dominion would ‘endure(s) throughout all generations’(v.13) was also what gave David such ecstasy, perhaps as he realized that his progeny would still prosper even after his (David’s) earthly kingdom ended. We know not whether Esther had any children or successive generations of friends and acquaintances that came after her, but how would you and I feel if we knew that others we’d known in this life could reach eternity some day and reunite with us? Mortality is a certain thing, isn’t it? Looking to Him, offering Him who is good a blessing of praise, is a hope exercise. And, hope is not empty (see Hebrews 3:6; 6:11,18-19; 7:19; 10:23; 11:1).        

 

And so, Esther echoed what David had said long ago. ‘Bless the Lord’ might sound a bit strange at first. How can I, a mere mortal, offer the Almighty, the Divine Creator of the universe, something that would bless Him who is possessing of such greatness already? It would be easy to feel so humble, that you wouldn’t feel right lifting your head and giving Him a gift. Moses was afraid to look at Him (Ex. 3:6) and indeed was later warned not to look at God’s face (Ex. 33:18-21), and yet this same God wanted Moses to know Him, wanted a relationship with him. We are His creation, the most special creatures in His image (Genesis 1:27). Every father wants to hear his sons and daughters, the very offspring of himself, say ‘thanks, Dad’. If He made us to relate to each other in this way, why should He feel different about us and Himself? This Father is one you and I can have forever.    

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raphael_-_Ezekiel%27s_Vision.jpg … The author died in 1520, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931. …found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_the_Father