Rally Point – Man as Battle Buddy
And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” - Nehemiah 4:19-22 ESV
On March 23, 1775, in St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, Patrick Henry spoke with both eloquence and passion as he stirred the hearts of legislators eager for liberty:
Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
When Henry concluded that rousing speech with the immortal words: “Give me liberty or give me death!” the cry rang out: “To arms! To arms!” Within weeks, the British had attacked, and America was fighting for her independence.
Nehemiah, led by God, inspired his people under threat of attack to rebuild the walls around their beloved Jerusalem. Yes, there were naysayers who didn’t believe it was possible, just as there were people in Patrick Henry’s day who believed the might of the British army could not be overcome. But Nehemiah knew what Patrick Henry also knew: “we shall not fight our battles alone.” God would fight for the builders of Jerusalem’s wall. Yet, they still had a part to play. While they rebuilt the wall, they had to stay armed and vigilant. They also had to have each other’s backs. Everyone was armed, and while half worked, the other half stood guard. If there was an attack, they planned the rally point: “In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there” (v. 20).
We, too, are in a life-and-death struggle with a deadly enemy. Only, our enemy is not flesh and blood but a spiritual enemy. The Lord Jesus warned that our adversary’s mission is to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Consequently, we need to have each other’s backs. It is imperative that we seek out and link arms with battle buddies for mutual defense. See, not only do you need someone who has your back, you need to provide that kind of protection for a brother, especially one who is hard at work building God’s kingdom.
For example, your pastor and the ministers serving your church need battle buddies to be on guard while they work. In these days of senseless shootings, that might mean providing literal, physical security. It certainly means prayer coverage against the attack of the enemy. It also means providing accountability when the enemy seems to have created a beachhead. Just as the armed builders of Nehemiah’s day were to rally to the hotspot at the trumpet call, that brother under attack should become the rally point for you as a battle buddy.
Our best weapons, however, are not swords or muskets; we are to be armed with the Word of God and prayer. Men, as we prepare to defend against the enemy of our souls, may we spend significant time in the presence of God in prayer and be fully equipped with the truth of God’s Word deeply embedded into our hearts and minds. The same God who stood by Nehemiah and heard the prayers of our founding fathers will stand beside us today in our homes, churches, and communities. Let us stay faithful to the task of building His kingdom, always armed and ready for battle, running to the rally point to defend our battle buddies!
- Do you have a battle buddy? If not, begin praying for God to point out the man you could link arms with as a battle buddy. Does your pastor have a battle buddy? Pray about approaching him about the possibility of serving.
- If you do have a battle buddy, are you actively praying for him? Do you hold him accountable? Do you rally to his defense when he is under attack?
- Ask God to help you become a dedicated and devoted battle buddy for another man.
And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” - Nehemiah 4:19-22 ESV
On March 23, 1775, in St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, Patrick Henry spoke with both eloquence and passion as he stirred the hearts of legislators eager for liberty:
Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
When Henry concluded that rousing speech with the immortal words: “Give me liberty or give me death!” the cry rang out: “To arms! To arms!” Within weeks, the British had attacked, and America was fighting for her independence.
Nehemiah, led by God, inspired his people under threat of attack to rebuild the walls around their beloved Jerusalem. Yes, there were naysayers who didn’t believe it was possible, just as there were people in Patrick Henry’s day who believed the might of the British army could not be overcome. But Nehemiah knew what Patrick Henry also knew: “we shall not fight our battles alone.” God would fight for the builders of Jerusalem’s wall. Yet, they still had a part to play. While they rebuilt the wall, they had to stay armed and vigilant. They also had to have each other’s backs. Everyone was armed, and while half worked, the other half stood guard. If there was an attack, they planned the rally point: “In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there” (v. 20).
We, too, are in a life-and-death struggle with a deadly enemy. Only, our enemy is not flesh and blood but a spiritual enemy. The Lord Jesus warned that our adversary’s mission is to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Consequently, we need to have each other’s backs. It is imperative that we seek out and link arms with battle buddies for mutual defense. See, not only do you need someone who has your back, you need to provide that kind of protection for a brother, especially one who is hard at work building God’s kingdom.
For example, your pastor and the ministers serving your church need battle buddies to be on guard while they work. In these days of senseless shootings, that might mean providing literal, physical security. It certainly means prayer coverage against the attack of the enemy. It also means providing accountability when the enemy seems to have created a beachhead. Just as the armed builders of Nehemiah’s day were to rally to the hotspot at the trumpet call, that brother under attack should become the rally point for you as a battle buddy.
Our best weapons, however, are not swords or muskets; we are to be armed with the Word of God and prayer. Men, as we prepare to defend against the enemy of our souls, may we spend significant time in the presence of God in prayer and be fully equipped with the truth of God’s Word deeply embedded into our hearts and minds. The same God who stood by Nehemiah and heard the prayers of our founding fathers will stand beside us today in our homes, churches, and communities. Let us stay faithful to the task of building His kingdom, always armed and ready for battle, running to the rally point to defend our battle buddies!
- Do you have a battle buddy? If not, begin praying for God to point out the man you could link arms with as a battle buddy. Does your pastor have a battle buddy? Pray about approaching him about the possibility of serving.
- If you do have a battle buddy, are you actively praying for him? Do you hold him accountable? Do you rally to his defense when he is under attack?
- Ask God to help you become a dedicated and devoted battle buddy for another man.