Breakthrough isn’t always something we have to fight for. Sometimes, it is just a matter of positioning ourselves to cooperate with God’s plans, while He fights for us. To be sure, trust and action are required, which means we may have to fight ourselves, but it doesn’t have to be as hard as we tend to think it does. God is the God of the breakthrough, and as we set our hearts to wait for and move with Him, He delights in our moment of release from the places we were never meant to stay stuck in.
In 1 Chronicles 14, King David – having already faced and defeated his Goliath – found himself face to face with a mob of the people from that giant’s land. I’m imagining that David thought he should never have to deal with them again since, after defeating their champion fighter, he chased the rest of them down and killed all he could find. His victory, I’m sure he believed, was complete. He even brought back the trophy of Goliath’s head and his armor (sword and shield) as proof that the job was finished and victory was won. Sounds pretty final to me!
But here they came again, those rotten Philistines! Like cockroaches, they just seemed to multiply and come back with a vengeance! David found himself under attack in the Valley of Rephaim, which is translated either “Valley of Giants” or “Valley of Trouble.”
Have you ever survived something, only to turn around a few months or a few years later and find yourself facing the same – or at least a very similar – conflict? Unfortunately, our enemy doesn’t lie down easily when he’s defeated. Fortunately, however, our God never expects us to face a conflict on our own!
David, positioned near the site of his last victory over the Philistines, no doubt remembered God’s faithfulness to Him in His battle with the giant. Instead of attempting to fight his way out, relying on his own instincts, he asked God for advice! When you are faced with trouble on all sides (or even on one side), do you turn to God and ask Him for wisdom and direction, as David did? Thankfully, God told David that the battle was one he would win, that his fight would not be in vain. In fact, God assured him that he would not even have to fight alone. God would give his enemy over to him.
In that same passage (verses 10-11), David follows God’s advice, wins the battle, and makes an awesome declaration about who God has been for him:
“David and his army marched to Baal-Perazim, where they attacked and defeated the Philistines. He said, “I defeated my enemies because God broke through them like a mighty flood.” So he named the place “The Lord Broke Through.” (1 Chronicles 14:11)
God is still the same God today as he was for David then (Hebrews 13:8). He wants to be with us as we are waiting for our breakthrough, guide us as we are seeking it, and deal with the enemy standing between us and the appointed moment of release. He is the God who has promised breakthrough by His very nature and presence within us, and who therefore supplies all that is needed to see that promise fulfilled.
Sadly, David’s enemies still didn’t learn their lesson, and came back for another round of battle not long after the Valley of Trouble incident. Similarly, you and I will not likely reach a breakthrough in our lives without discovering, soon afterward, that we are in need of another one. To the one who has faith, this is a good sign! It means we are still growing, and God is still fulfilling His plans for our lives. With each breakthrough, we grow in confidence of who He is, and of who we are to Him. We grow in strength and, hopefully, in love for the One Who has broken through for us.
In this round of David’s struggle for breakthrough, God did not give him the same advice. He didn’t tell David to face the attack head-on. Instead, God directed him to take the back roads, and to wait for the sound of God going out to battle on his behalf. The battle would look much different, but the moment of breakthrough was still appointed.
Dear Woman of Breakthrough, it is true that breakthrough sometimes comes in a moment – in a single encounter. But sometimes it comes by way of a process we must endure through, or an unexpected journey through unfamiliar territory. Always, however, it comes by the help of God as we wait for His direction and follow His instructions. There is not a situation, circumstance or enemy we will ever face that will take God by surprise. In every struggle we find ourselves in, as we wait for breakthrough, God is aiming His target at our hearts – injecting hope and implanting deeper trust there. How He longs to be our greatest Hero, our die-hard Lover. Do you give Him the opportunity to be such, when you are facing the need for breakthrough? Or have you become so accustomed to and fearful of disappointment that you have chosen to fight through for yourself?
I’ve been disappointed many times, and with each disappointment, the enemy has injected a lie about the lack of my value. I’ve had to ask God for the courage to break through those lies, and the bars they have put around my heart, and He has been faithful to grant it. He has also been so jealous for my freedom that, as I took up the courage He gave me to face the imprisoning lies, He took up the fight against the enemy who entrapped me in them. He broke through the Giant and the army that stood against me, and I got to dance my way through the bars my enemy thought would define my life and identity.
Dear Woman of Breakthrough, God will do the same for you, if you will choose to let Him. Today, may I encourage you to turn to Him, daring to believe that His love for you is so great, He cares about your breakthrough more than you do? I can assure you that you will not be disappointed! (Meditate on Romans 5: 1-17 this week for more encouragement!)
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She Dances Over Graves 