Art & Soul post #34 by guest author Leslie Wittenmyer
Throughout our lives, deep down in our souls, we desire a relationship with someone that will give all they have for us. We want someone that is willing to fight for us so that we feel loved, cherished, and important– worth fighting for. We continue to look for this in the people we meet and get to know. Though we love the people already in our lives, the truth is they are flawed and their love is imperfect. We put too high expectations on them, and then we get angry or disappointed when they don’t meet them.
Would you believe me if I told you there is one who has a perfect love for you and me– who we can put our highest expectations upon and never be disappointed? His name is Jesus! He is my Savior and my Lord! As my Savior, He gives me hope when I feel that there is none; He gives me strength when I am weak; and He helps me to love, heal and forgive. As my Lord, I choose to serve and obey Him because He is worthy– I know that He is holy and His Word is good and true! He has assured me that I am worthy in His eyes and He wants to bless me abundantly. If you choose to accept and obey Him, He can be your Savior and Lord as well!
There are 46 verses in the Old Testament in which we read of an altar being built unto the Lord. The first altar was built by Noah in Genesis 8:20, right after God told him all the residents of the ark could go walk on dry ground for the first time after the flood. He sacrificed some of the clean animals and birds on it as a burnt offering which pleased the Lord. Thereafter, nearly every Old Testament man of faith built an altar to the Lord God, Jehovah. God instructed His people how to build an altar to Him: it was to be made only from earth or uncut rock and there were to be no steps leading to it or trees around it. Their altars were a testimony to those who worshiped other gods that the true God was different from the pagan gods in the land. Many altars were built for the purpose of offering animal sacrifices to the Lord as an atonement for sin, but altars were also built to worship God through the presentation of offerings of reverence, dependence, or thanksgiving; to commemorate an encounter with God; as a memorial to a victory in battle; and for various other reasons. God’s people often used altar-building as a way to establish a lasting connection with Him.
From time to time, I’ve heard people say, “The Lord is my Banner.” I would wonder what that meant. Then I read the following account in Exodus. Shortly after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea, they wandered into a desert inhabited by the Amalekites. These nomadic people lived by raiding settlements and liked to kill other people groups just for pleasure, so of course they thought they had come upon sitting ducks when the Israelites appeared. Moses told Joshua to form an army and go fight while he would stand on the hill holding up the staff of God in his hand. As long as Moses’ hands were raised, the Israelites would gain ground, but when Moses would grow tired and his hands lowered, the Israelites would lose ground. Two other men went and stood on either side of Moses and held up his hands for him throughout the rest of the day until sunset. Then we read in Exodus 17:13-16 (NIV), “So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of the Amalek from under heaven.’ Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.’” Moses was giving honor to God for delivering His people from their enemy at that moment and in the future. He was saying God will defend and give victory to those who look to Him and remain focused on His strength!
The following scriptures further declare that there is a God that loves us so much that He is willing to FIGHT for us and remain ALWAYS by our side.
Exodus 14:13 (NIV): “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV): “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV): “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
2 Chronicles 20:17 (NIV): “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.”
John 12:30-32 (NIV): “Jesus said, ‘… Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’”
The Lord goes before us to fight our battles! We read the scriptures throughout the Bible, but do we believe it? Do we accept it? Has it gone from head knowledge to heart knowledge? He is faithful to deliver us from our fears, our anxieties, our pains in life, and so much more! What is our call of duty? Acknowledge Him, trust in Him and all His ways, and obey His commands. At a time when some of Jesus’ followers were walking away from Him because they could not accept that He was God Himself and they did not understand His teaching of how only He can save us from eternal death, He asked His twelve closest disciples, “‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’… Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’” (John 6:67-69, NIV)
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God has been and always will be with us. He has been and always will be fighting for us. He has always loved us with a perfect love and always will! In other words, He is our Banner!
The day that Christ, the Son of God, was raised up to the sky on a cross was the turning point in the war between good and evil. That war began the day Satan appeared to Eve in the garden in the form of a serpent and tempted her to eat the fruit God had forbidden her and Adam to eat. By going to the cross, Christ took on the sins of the whole world! That’s huge when you think about how many people now and throughout time have lived on this earth! Because of this, because of your sin and mine, our Father could not look upon Jesus and had to turn His face away. This battle wound was so much more painful than the insults, the beatings, the nails, or the slow, grueling death by suffocation Jesus endured for us. But that death was not the end of the story! Jesus arose from that grave, walked among us, and ascended into heaven! Jesus became victorious over death, the grave, and hell! When we accept Him into our heart and obey Him in our life, we inherit that same glorious victory along with Him!
I was inspired to do this painting (below), which depicts Christ as He overcame all that the enemy has done in this world to try to separate us from God, when the Holy Spirit revealed to me what it means to say, “The Lord is my Banner.” Now that I fully realize everything Christ overcame on the cross and how He still fights for me today, I join those before me in declaring to the world, “The Lord is my Banner!” In the painting, I wrote these words not only in English but also in Hebrew, using both the English alphabet (Jehovah-nissi) and the Hebrew alphabet (the symbols that follow Jehovah-nissi).
Romans 8:37 (NIV): “…we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
When I look at the cross, I’m reminded that the victory has already been won by my Jesus, my Lord! Jesus is our Banner and our Victory!
- He saves us from the penalty of our sin!
- He saves us from spiritual death!
- He saves us from hell which is eternal separation from God!
The Word of God, which is Jesus Himself, is alive and active! We will be victorious in our lives, not only today but throughout eternity, if we hear and obey the Word of God! We can’t just be hearers of the Word…we have to be doers of the Word!
James 1:22 (NKJV): “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
I will look to the cross of my Jesus, my Banner, when:
- I’m afraid
- I’m anxious
- I’m feeling helpless
- I’m feeling alone
- I’m not sure what to do
- I’m feeling angry
- I’m feeling depressed
He is my ALL in ALL!
Like the altars of the Old Testament, the cross is symbolic of the victory we have in the Lord! In fact, it is the last altar to ever be built because the death of Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin. Jesus conquered ALL on the cross and has made me VICTORIOUS THROUGH HIM! When I look at the cross, I am reminded that all my burdens, all my anxieties, all my fears have already been conquered! They have been defeated! My hope is that you will be able to lay all your cares before Jesus and let Him be your Banner as well!
Leslie Wittenmyer
I am a daughter of the King, happily married to the one I love, and step-mama to four. I was created to be creative, and I intend to continue to use my gifts for His glory! Thank you, Abba!
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2 thoughts on “He is Our Banner”
I learned so much through your message Leslie! Thank you so much for sharing your art and your heart!💗The Lord is My Banner!🙌🏻
The Lord is My Banner! A song we sing at the Salvation Army Cwmbran Corps says, ‘and His banner over me is love.’