General Jackson said those words before entering battle, and a thousand more men have repeated them in the face of conflict, problems, pressures and agonies from the beginning of time until now. The concept is birthed in knowing God’s character: that He’s truly God alone, that He’s always sovereign, and that He’s completely good. And it’s driven by knowing our own character: that we exist to serve and glorify Him, while nothing else really matters.
And it’s a beautiful sentiment, really. “Duty is ours and consequences are God’s.” It sounds comforting. But in the midst of battle, it is sometimes hard to remember that sentiment, and even harder to believe it.
It’s hard because of our nature: we’re servant-soldiers. We’re called to fight, but we’re powerless regarding the outcome.
While we all face giants, we don’t know if they’ll fall. While we stand in the midst of Red Seas, we don’t know if the waves will come crashing down. While we charge our own Mt. Suribachi’s, we don’t know how many wait to slaughter us on top of the hill. While we fill a gap in the line, we don’t know how long until we leave a gap. And beyond timid, we feel pretty inadequate.
Yeah. We don’t know the details of the plan. And sometimes, especially when smoke sweeps the battlefield and we’re blinded by darkness and the enemy’s roar, we wish that we weren’t warriors, that we didn’t have duty, and that we didn’t have to be so powerless as to the results. We think we’re facing absolute defeat.
But isn’t that when we lift our eyes? Above the smoke, our God reigns. He’s the One who told us that He’s with us in the fire, that He will frustrate the plans of the enemy, that what men mean for evil He can use for good, that our labor is not in vain. He’s the One who trains our hands for war, our fingers for battle. His is the victory.
We cannot say “duty is ours, consequences are God’s” when our eyes are on ourselves, glued to the battle, looking for results, desperate for tangible “success”. We can only say “duty is ours, consequences are God’s” when our eyes are on Him – the One who already conquered, the God who knows the results, the Lord who defines success.
And I wonder if battles get hard and the smoke gets thick so that we won’t get stuck with what we see? I wonder if the whole point of battle isn’t to put effort in to get something out. Cause we don’t know what we’re going to get out. All we can know is Who we serve: the God who rules, and who says His plans are good. The One who is worthy of everything we have.
At the end of the day, the smoke will clear. Our comrades may lie slain, or maybe us. If we’re not wounded, we’ll at least be changed. We may find all of our efforts destroyed, and all of our progress checked. We may think the battle is lost. But even then, loss can be gain if Jesus is enough.
If you are obedient to serve and fight, and see nobody touched or helped or blessed, will the smile of God be enough? Are you willing to do your duty and leave the results to Him, confident that He knows how to glorify Himself through you?
And it’s a beautiful sentiment, really. “Duty is ours and consequences are God’s.” It sounds comforting. But in the midst of battle, it is sometimes hard to remember that sentiment, and even harder to believe it.
It’s hard because of our nature: we’re servant-soldiers. We’re called to fight, but we’re powerless regarding the outcome.
While we all face giants, we don’t know if they’ll fall. While we stand in the midst of Red Seas, we don’t know if the waves will come crashing down. While we charge our own Mt. Suribachi’s, we don’t know how many wait to slaughter us on top of the hill. While we fill a gap in the line, we don’t know how long until we leave a gap. And beyond timid, we feel pretty inadequate.
Yeah. We don’t know the details of the plan. And sometimes, especially when smoke sweeps the battlefield and we’re blinded by darkness and the enemy’s roar, we wish that we weren’t warriors, that we didn’t have duty, and that we didn’t have to be so powerless as to the results. We think we’re facing absolute defeat.
But isn’t that when we lift our eyes? Above the smoke, our God reigns. He’s the One who told us that He’s with us in the fire, that He will frustrate the plans of the enemy, that what men mean for evil He can use for good, that our labor is not in vain. He’s the One who trains our hands for war, our fingers for battle. His is the victory.
We cannot say “duty is ours, consequences are God’s” when our eyes are on ourselves, glued to the battle, looking for results, desperate for tangible “success”. We can only say “duty is ours, consequences are God’s” when our eyes are on Him – the One who already conquered, the God who knows the results, the Lord who defines success.
And I wonder if battles get hard and the smoke gets thick so that we won’t get stuck with what we see? I wonder if the whole point of battle isn’t to put effort in to get something out. Cause we don’t know what we’re going to get out. All we can know is Who we serve: the God who rules, and who says His plans are good. The One who is worthy of everything we have.
At the end of the day, the smoke will clear. Our comrades may lie slain, or maybe us. If we’re not wounded, we’ll at least be changed. We may find all of our efforts destroyed, and all of our progress checked. We may think the battle is lost. But even then, loss can be gain if Jesus is enough.
If you are obedient to serve and fight, and see nobody touched or helped or blessed, will the smile of God be enough? Are you willing to do your duty and leave the results to Him, confident that He knows how to glorify Himself through you?
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