When Retreat is Right

Sometimes the Lord tells you to step back and rip up your battle plan.

When Israel split from Judah, Rehoboam operated by intuition. He thought it was his duty to fight. He needed to muster the army. He needed to restore the kingdom. Of course God wanted him to do something.

But after Rehoboam rallied 180,000 chosen warriors, God told them all to go home:

“But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God: ‘Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, ‘Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.’” (2 Chronicles 11:2-4a)

When we observe something gone awry, our tendency is to assume that God wants us to raise up an army. He wants us to step in. Christ has clothed us with spiritual armor; why wouldn’t he want us to fight?

But as we prepare to move, the Spirit of God pulls us back: “This thing is from me.” He wants us to let his long-term work run its course rather than force an immediate remedy. He has a plan that goes beyond our perception. In this case, the bold step of faith is to “return ... home”—to choose the secret place as your battle field.

This is why we need spiritual perception. The better battle plan came through Shemaiah’s prophetic word. To those who listen with patience, the General still speaks.

Rehoboam couldn’t yet see the Man at the Well (John 4:1-45). He couldn’t perceive his distant heir, who would one day unite Samaria and Jerusalem—not with swords and shields, but "in spirit and truth."

God rips up your battle plan because he has a better one. If he asks you to take your hands off, it is only because his hand is moving in it.