“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” All of us have probably echoed Thomas Paine’s immortal words. He penned them in December 1776 as General George Washington’s troops were camped at McKonkey’s Ferry across the Delaware River from Trenton, New Jersey. After having suffered a humiliating defeat in August, many of his volunteer soldiers – 11,000 in total – gave up in the fight and returned to their families. Service contracts for the rest were soon to expire and Washington realized that without a boost in morale, the America Revolution would come to a sad and disappointing end.
Thomas Paine was familiar with all the turmoil among Washington’s troops. His writing, Common Sense, was the clarion call that had prompted the Revolution. In the midst of the current crisis, Paine rose to the challenge to issue a call to arms. His tome, American Crisis, was distributed among the troops under Washington’s leadership. The beleaguered troops mustered all the strong they could find, and on Christmas night they crossed the icy Delaware River and defeated the Hessians – hung over from too much imbibing to celebrate Christmas. A week later, January 2, they also defeated the British’s best general, Earl Cornwallis, at the Battle of Princeton. With those victories, Washington won “the love and thanks of man and woman.”
We are again in the midst of a very trying time. There is uncertainty and confusion. There is distrust and accusation. There is anxiety and despair. Even among believers there is a certain apprehension as to what we are going to do. Many are shrinking from their duty to Almighty God and are abandoning the Army of the King.
We must remember that God is still sovereign. He is sovereign over His great mercies, which are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-24 reminds us, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”
He is sovereign over our trials. Remember Job. He couldn’t see the hand of God or the purpose of God in his trials, but God reminded him that it was not wise to “darken counsel by words without knowledge” (Job 38:2). It is not wise to assume we can teach God anything about our circumstances and trials. Remember Paul. He writes in 2 Corinthians 12 that his “thorn in the flesh” was actually given to him by God Himself in order to keep him humble. Through it all he realized that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
He is sovereign over our sanctification. You may grow weary in pursuing holiness. But Paul reminds us that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
He is sovereign over the world. All the turmoil in our world today does not catch God by surprise. In a world of chaos and disorder, He is still in control. Psalm 121:4 reminds us that He “will not slumber.”
If you are growing weary in the race and in the fight, remember your sovereign God. Remember the words of Jehoshaphat when the Ammonites and Menuites came up to invade Judah. This was an overwhelming army and Judah’s king stood before them and prayed, concluding, “we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2 Chronicles 20:11).
When you grow weary remember that “those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Keep your eyes on the Lord and He will deliver you for He is our Sovereign God.
That You May Know Ministries 