On Standing Firm

I watched The Chronicles of Narnia last night. Those of us who have put our faith in Christ can't help but see the connections between the characters of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy in C.S. Lewis' epic novels and ourselves: We are royal as children of the King (1 Peter 2:9) , we will one day rule with Christ (Revelation 20:6), we have been given weapons and armor to help us in the battle of life (Ephesians 6:10-18), and at times, we still struggle with doing what we're told versus doing what will bring us immediate satisfaction (Romans 7:22-23). (What is Turkish Delight anyway?)

One of the most striking scenes in the movie is (naturally) the battle scene toward the end. The White Witch orders her army to charge Aslan's army. They take off across the valley, weapons drawn, shouting. But what struck me was what Peter ordered his army to do. Rather than running straight into the battle as soon as the enemy did, the army under Peter's command did exactly what today's verses talk about. They stood firm. They waited for instruction, and they trusted their commander.

At least three separate times, God, through Paul, tells us to "stand firm". 1 Thessalonians 2:15 simply says to stand firm in the teachings we receive from godly leaders. In I Corinthians 6:13 and Galatians 5:1 and we're told that standing firm in our faith will keep us on guard and will keep us from falling back into slavery to sin. The word used in all three of these verses is steko. The idea is to persevere, persist and to keep one's footing. It speaks of a determined effort to stay standing while being attacked. It also speaks of standing still, feet firmly planted, able to resist a force pushing against us. If you've ever played a game like King of the Hill, you know the concept - standing still allows much greater resistance than when running at (or away from) someone.

In these verses, it is not our own spiritual strength or power that keeps us standing firm. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It is only in surrendering our will, and our stubborn determination to help ourselves that we find the will and determination to stand up to attack. It is our faith in God, His power, and Christ's death and resurrection that gives us the ability to stand still, quietly and calmly until our Commander tells us to do otherwise. And if and when He does give the order to charge, it is that same faith that will give us the victory, and again, not anything we do or are on our own. I find a lot of comfort in that thought. Our faith in Christ absolutely assures us the victory over sin and, someday, death. Now if only we could remember that in the heat of the battle.