Who is on the Lord's Side?

Many of us who were raised in the church grew up singing hymns.  We may know these hymns by rote, but might not have given much thought to their actual meaning.  Others of us may not have grown up in the church, or may not have been raised in a church that sang old hymns, and these songs seem antiquated and superfluous.  However, if we take time to really read these hymns and allow them to guide our prayer life, we will be deeply impacted by the richness of their poetry.  Therefore, for our next set of devotionals, I will use an online resource, Hymn Devotionals. Essentially, this resource focuses on the text of a hymn, the Biblical passages that inspired its author, the biography of the author and prayers that would logically be prayed as a result of communion with God through recitation of the hymn.  


WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE? 
Frances R. Havergal, 1836-1879

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." ~Joshua 24:15

As Christians, we are to take our places in God's army and not be ashamed to be counted as one of His. Believers are too often content to sit on the sidelines and merely observe the spectacle. The work of the Gospel, inviting individuals to be personally reconciled with God through faith in Jesus, is an urgent task, not a spectator sport. It demands our whole-hearted, zealous involvement.

Miss Havergal, authoress of this powerful hymn text, was known as the "consecration poet". Her entire life was characterized by simple faith and spiritual saintliness. In spite of frail health, she lived an active life until her death at the age of 43. On her tombstone was the Scripture verse she claimed as her own: "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." ~1 John 1:7.

She wrote many beautifully phrased hymn texts, including "Take My Life and Let It Be,"  "I Gave My Life for Thee," and "Like a River Glorious."

This militant hymn text by Frances Havergal was originally titled "Home Missions" and was written in October of 1877. It was based on the Scripture setting in I Chronicles 12:1-18, where a very select group of soldiers was preparing to join King David in warfare against the enemy. The poem later appeared in Loyal Responses, published by the author in 1878. "Who Is on the Lord's Side?" has been used for more than a century to challenge Christians to make a definite commitment to follow Christ in spiritual warfare.


Who is on the Lord's Side? 

Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Not for weight of glory, nor for crown and palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
He whom Jesus nameth must be on His side.
By Thy love constraining, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with Thine own life blood, for Thy diadem;
With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.
By Thy grand redemption, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
’Round His standard ranging, victory is secure,
For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Read I Chronicles 12:1-18; Mark 8:24-38; II Corinthians 5:11; I Timothy 6:12

Praise God for being our King, our Redeemer, our Savior, our General. 

Confess that we too often do not align ourselves with Christ. 

Thank God for being merciful, patient and forgiving; for granting us freedom; for fighting for us. 

Ask God to help you to do or say something to a non-Christian that publicly identifies you as a follower/soldier of Christ.  Ask Him for the courage to be known as one of His followers.