God has many titles. Superior titles. Right now, you might be able to name at least a few of them. One title in particular that always stops me dead in my tracks when I read it in Scripture is THE LORD OF HEAVEN’S ARMIES. I can’t get past it. I bow to it. The title actually is referring to Jesus because He is the One who is Commander. Did you know that this title for God is mentioned around 260 times in the Old Testament and twice in the New Testament? This morning I read it again. So, I began to ponder it. Heaven is comprised of armies. Not just one army, but armies… plural. And at any given moment, God can release those armies on behalf of His people.
No doubt, David was standing in the midst of heaven’s armies when he faced off with a 9-foot giant. Goliath didn’t have a chance against this great army. Jehoshaphat led his people to the front lines of a grueling war, but the armies of heaven arrived long before they did and won the battle before they ever got there. Stephen was surrounded by the great armies of heaven when he defended Jesus before seventy-one very angry men. Elijah was among the powerful armies of heaven when he stood before hundreds of false prophets and called fire down from heaven. Here’s the thing… no nation, no king, no power, no force has a chance against the armies of heaven.
And the armies of heaven are still in place. Our key verse comes from Isaiah’s prophetic word about an event still in the future: “But this is what the LORD has told me: ‘When a strong young lion stands growling over a sheep it has killed, it is not frightened by the shouts and noise of a whole crowd of shepherds. In the same way, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will come down and fight on Mount Zion. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass over it and rescue it’” (Isaiah 31:4-5).
This prophecy is speaking of the day when great nations will converge upon Israel with one goal… to destroy it. This is what we call the second coming of Jesus… when He steps foot on the Mount of Olives and, accompanied by all of heaven’s armies, will protect His nation and His people against this great foe. Every single person against God will be killed. And you and I will be there witnessing the whole thing.
God has always been Israel’s protector. He has always fought for His people. The same is true of us. I wonder how often He releases great armies to come to my defense… and yours too. In our toughest moments, when things are looking pretty bleak, when we don’t think we have the energy to keep going, when we’re facing a huge giant; God unleashes His great armies to surround us. When we are up against insurmountable odds, when we are called to the front lines of a battle, when we’re looking into the face of a terrifying future, and when the grief is just too much to handle, God sends His armies to surround us, comfort us, hold us up, and fight for us. He NEVER leaves us alone. He NEVER abandons us. In fact, He has GREAT ARMIES at His disposal and Jesus is the Commander. Let these words sink in today. If you need to, ask God to send His mighty armies to help you. I’m pretty sure He loves when we ask that. And then bow before the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.