Daily Devotional

Captain America: The First Avenger is a classic for me. I mean who doesn't love a good underdog story of a scrawny kid who gets superpowers and fights for our country? There's a scene early in the movie, before Cap's transformation, where he is at the movie theater himself and attempts to stand up to a rude and disrespectful patron, only to get beat up in the process. And before things get out of hand Steve's best friend Bucky Barnes steps in to rescue him. Once the bully flees with his tail tucked between his legs, Bucky says to Steve, "Sometimes I think you like getting punched." Implying this probably isn't the first time Steve has taken this kind of beating. It likely happened quite often.
 
For us, it can be discouraging to feel like we aren't making any progress, in our lives. While God has promised us victory in Jesus, we struggle to survive the day-to-day battles that we encounter! And I think perceptively, how we fight our battles is so important. When we’re fighting with our strength, experience, or things we can control, I’d argue we’re often fighting in our name. Yet, our strategic approach should always be to fight in the name of Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner.
 
In the passage, King Amalek and the Amalekites wanted to fight the Israelites. Moses went to Joshua and told him to round up warriors and go take care of Amalek. Moses then went to the top of the hill with the staff of God in his hands. When Moses raised his hands Joshua and Co. were winning. Yet, when Moses’ hands fell, they were getting beat. This image of God being lifted high was the source of victory. This symbolic and miraculous moment resulted in Moses calling God Jehovah Nissi, or the Lord is my banner. The banner was on display for all to see — symbolizing a rallying point for the people to fight under. A reminder of who it was they fought with and a proclamation of victory under the banner of God. As believers, we too ought to rally under the banner of God as we experience true victory in His presence!

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.