He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, For they are many who strive with me. (Psalm 55:18 NASU[1]).

What kind of battle is making your life hard today? Are you in the midst of financial troubles where you don’t know how you can pay the next bill? Are your children out of control and nothing you do seems to help? Do grown children pay no attention to you when you try to tell them the right way to live? Have you lost your job and can’t seem to find another one? Perhaps you face a spiritual battle in doing God’s will when your mind craves something else. What is your battle today? We all have them from time to time.

As I read Psalm 55 I came across this verse and it gave me hope for my own battle. That’s why I had to write about it here – to give you hope for your battle, no matter what it is. He will redeem my soul in peace. Sit for a moment and contemplate this statement. What does it mean to you?

Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Those are what God redeems; we don’t have to, even if we could. Then let’s examine the word redeem. Merriam Webster defines it as: a) to make (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) better or more acceptable. b) to exchange (something such as a coupon or lottery ticket) for money, an award, etc. c) to buy back (something such as a stock or bond). I think the second definition works well because God takes our struggle and distress and turns them into soul-peace even though the battle still rages.

We receive peace. Calm; tranquility; no stress or worry. That word speaks volumes when we’re in a battle, doesn’t it? Peace is what we need, what we crave. No matter what our fight is, we need peace in the midst of it. Because any battle brings with it turmoil, perhaps confusion over the right thing to do, self-doubt, sleeplessness.

So how do we find that peace? We go to God; He’s the only One who can give it. As an example, let’s look at what Hezekiah did when a great army came against the Jews, whose army was certainly no match.

2 Kings 19:14-21 states: Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

16 “Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 “Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 “Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.”

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you.’ 21 “This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him: . . .

Notice the steps Hezekiah took:

• He set the problem before the Lord. An old hymn says, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. That’s exactly what Hezekiah did, and what we must do to find that peace we need.
• Next he simply stated Who God is.
• Hezekiah then reminded God of all the evil Sennacherib had done to many countries before he attacked Israel.
• He prayed asking for deliverance.
• Israel’s victory would point to God’s glory, not their own because of their small size and weakness.

I wonder if we might do something like this with our problems when the battle rages before us. Write down the problem; state it plainly. Then do as the hymn says and lay it before the Lord, just as Hezekiah did. And leave it there! Next praise God for Who He is. Spend some time pondering God’s majesty. That gives the problem perspective; yet, tell God exactly how serious your battle remains and ask for deliverance.

The fifth item in Hezekiah’s prayer for victory gives glory to God.  Can we say our deliverance or victory in the battle will give God glory? Will we testify about what God did for us if we win our battle?

Cornelius Quek, on Elijah List[2] says: From God’s perspective, there is never a lack of hope for everything that life throws at us. God has made provision by the power of the Holy Spirit for us to thrive in hope in all situations. . . Hope is a permanent habitation in our lives! Hope comes alive in us when we take our eyes off the gravity of our circumstances and set them on the promises of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

At the end of Psalm 55 David said, But I trust in You (v. 25c). In Psalm 28:7 David told us, The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I will thank Him.

Something we usually forget when we’re in warfare is to look up and thank God for all He has given us. Count your blessings. No matter what else is going on, we enjoy many blessings. Thank God for those. This will lift your spirit and get your mind thinking positively.

Thanksgiving and praise often seem to open heaven’s doors when nothing else will. They will definitely take us out of the pit of despair, where we’ll accomplish nothing good. Often in the midst of our battle we must learn to believe God’s Word that He is our Helper, our Redeemer and our Healer. Perhaps we haven’t been taught that and it can take time to learn, but God’s Word speaks Truth. We must learn to rely on the Bible because it is the Word of God to us and it contains great promises of provision when we completely rely on our loving heavenly Father.

Take time in the middle of your battle to rely on Father for the peace you long for and desperately need.

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[1] New American Standard Bible Updated

[2] www.elijahlist.com