After British forces failed to prevent the German occupation of Norway in April 1940, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain began to lose support of many members of his Conservative Party. On May 10, Hitler invaded the Low Countries—Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands—and France. The same day, Chamberlain formally lost the confidence of the House of Commons. Winston Churchill was asked to replace Chamberlain and form a coalition government. On May 13, in his first speech before the House of Commons, Prime Minister Churchill declared that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat” and offered an outline of his bold plans for British resistance.
In his memoirs, Churchill wrote of how he felt at the time, “I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but preparation for this hour and for this trial…I was sure I should not fail.” In the first year of his administration, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany; but Churchill, against the advice of many other MP’s who wanted him to surrender to Hitler, promised his country and the world that the British people would “never surrender.” They never did. Churchill was a war horse!
The Horse in Job 39
In the book of Job, the first 36 chapters, Job hears from his “counselors,” if you could call them such, their opinions of his plight. But suddenly, Job hears from God in chapter 39. God gives the discouraged Job a challenge. In this chapter, God uses nature and animals to declare that the natural is a mirror of the spiritual. From verses 19-25, God speaks of the qualities of the war horse. Let me just outline a few of these qualities:
- The war horse has a neck clothed with thunder. (vs. 19)
- The war horse strikes fear. (vs. 20)
- The war horse rejoices in his strength. (vs. 21)
- The war horse gallops to the clash of arms. (vs. 21)
- The war horse mocks fear and never runs away from a fight. (vss. 22-23)
- The war horse devours distances with fierceness and rage. (vs. 24)
- The war worse rises up with the blast of the trumpet. (vs. 25)
You are a War Horse Disciple
In these days of darkness in our country, you are called to not cower, not be fearful, and not be discouraged. We are not in a physical war with flesh and blood, but a spiritual war of prayer, love, and action (Ephesians 6:10-18). Our battle is with principalities and powers in heavenly places. We are spiritual warriors of love for the Kingdom of God on earth!
Taking Job 39:19-25 as my text, let me prophetically say that the war horse is an image of the kind of men and women we need in America today. God is raising up a new breed of Christian that cannot be intimidated. Based on the above passage, let me give you the qualities of a spiritual war horse disciple:
- The war horse disciple is clothed with God’s thunderous love! (vs. 19)
- The war horse disciple races into fear with courage! (vs. 20)
- The war horse disciple rejoices in the strength of the Lord! (vs. 21)
- The war horse disciple runs into the battle with confidence! (vss. 21-24)
- The war horse disciple runs into battle with a fierce love! (vs. 24)
- The war horse disciple hears the trumpet of God and responds! (vs. 25)
To the Jesus disciple, I challenge you to the run the race set before you with confidence and love. No fear. This is exactly why each of you have been raised up in this hour—to be the war horse disciple! Let’s go.
In the battle with you,
Pastor Steve