Reflections
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. (Josh. 5:13-14)
Joshua wanted to know the whose side this angel would fight for. He said, “Neither side. I’m here to fight for the Lord’s interests.”
This is true in any case we might consider. God is not on our side. He is not on anyone’s side. The question is whether we are on His side, with His purpose in mind.
When Paul says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31), he is talking from the perspective of God doing what is best for us — God is for us in that He will be faithful to accomplish His purpose in us.
Many of God’s people talk, live, and even pray, as if God is on their side – as if God’s purpose is to bless anything their hand touches. God only blesses what His hand touches. Again, the question is whether we will come under His hand.
God tells us to lose our lives. Will He bless the life he tells us to lose, making it all the more difficult to lose it? Nope. Again – God only blesses His purpose in Christ. We need to lose ourselves to Him and ask Him to do whatever it takes to complete that purpose for Himself in us. We need to be on God’s side – it is the only winning side.