Battle Cry.

He said it as we waited in that long, snaking line of traffic headed towards the National Harbor. The sun had already dipped below the horizon but we were anticipating the splendor of fireworks against the black, night sky and we could glimpse the brightness of twinkling, Christmas lights in grand display.
"You know what I say at night when I'm starting to feel scared, Mom?"
'What's that, Buddy?' I asked.
My five year old responded, "I say, 'Immanuel'. That means God with us."
I told him I loved that idea; we talked about how he feels peace after he talks with Jesus and how he remembers that Immanuel is right there with him in the midst of darkest night. And then the conversation moved on, rather seamlessly, to hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. But I was quiet in the front seat, treasuring our conversation in all its profound simplicity. I'm still pondering this knowledge my son is beginning to know deep within- God with us.

Thankfully, our boys have never really dealt with nightmares. But we have had to battle other fears that try to grab hold of their minds. For a few weeks this past summer, Owen struggled with being apart from us- even just being in a different room of the house than I was. He absolutely needed to know where his Dad or I were at all times, and that made bed time especially difficult. Some nights it would take him over an hour to fall asleep and he would keep calling out, 'Are you doing dishes, Mom?' or 'Are you still working in your office, Dad?'
We started praying 'warrior prayers' with him and talking about his mind as a precious treasure that both good and evil want to stake their claim on. Fear is the Devil's strategy and we choose whether or not to listen to his lies or fight back with all our strength and the Holy Spirit's help. This 'battle talk' made sense to our young warrior and he grabbed on to the fact that he could DO something about this problem and even fight back. Owen knew we would never leave home without him, but as soon as we would head into another room, that thought would rise up. Recognizing it as a lie started to make a difference.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 became our battle cry, 'For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.'

For weeks we talked about Jesus being the Peace that literally stands guard over our hearts and minds and both boys loved imagining the epic battles being fought at all times (with extra large, flaming swords, of course!) for TRUTH! Before falling asleep at night Owen would say, 'Read the verses, Mom!' and then we would pray hard, as warriors, for victory in this battle. Most nights I would return to his room after he fell asleep and continue to pray against that fear.
Owen is not afraid anymore. Of course, he still battles with fears. But he is not irrationally afraid in ways that make him panic. He's always had a 'need to know', but I believe that's a first born tendency. He plays happily in the backyard again, even if I'm only watching from the window, and he falls asleep contentedly every night. I'm sure there will be other battles down the road, but this one has been won! And now that we have passed through that type of fear, God with us carries significantly more weight for both him and I! Light seems much brighter after you've walked through the dark.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear; for I am with you..

I started typing this up a few days before Christmas. But, of course, life happened and we went on a trip to CO. and here I am posting it a week into the new year. I think it's rather fitting, though, because the birth of Jesus into our messy, dark, and broken world should be celebrated and proclaimed every day of the year! No matter what we're facing; the darkness we have walked through, or pain we may be feeling, the Light of the world came down to us and because of that we can have hope!
Matthew 1:21-23 'She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')."
Immanuel bridged the gap and became the way for each of us to access Truth that can light up the darkest night and Peace that crushes all fear! Hope came as a baby, born in a stable, which means He can enter right into the midst of our hard and ugly, too. He was laid in a manger, which means nothing surprises him! And He was welcomed by travel-weary, first time parents and shepherds straight from the hillside, which means he doesn't need us to clean up our act first, he just wants us to come.

The lights at the Harbor that night were incredible, and it was because the night was pitch black. Isn't that's how it always works, though, with the drastic contrast? We don't even know to long for peace until we've endured a season of turmoil. The comfort of friendship can bring us to tears only after knowing what it is to be completely alone. And into a world where fear and chaos appear to be running rampant, Immanuel comes down; the contrast is startling and Satan trembles.
The enemy of our souls knows that there is an end in sight. But until that glorious day comes, Satan will do his very best to drag us down into darkness with him; robbing us of joy, peace, and hope. We can choose to fight back, though- just ask Owen! We can take thoughts captive, by the power of God's Spirit, learning to see through those masquerading lies. Jesus is with us and He fights for us. While we may have to do battle every single day we are on this earth, we can know the war has already been won. In John 16:33 Jesus says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." May Immanuel be our battle cry every day of the year because 'God with us' makes all the difference!

Glory to the light of the world

For all who wait

For all who hunger

For all who've prayed

For all who wonder

Behold your King

Behold Messiah

Emmanuel, Emmanuel

-Lauren Daigle