The LORD is our Banner
By Ryan Dawson
There are some seasons in life when it feels like we’re losing.
Maybe you know that feeling. You’ve prayed, you’ve worked, you’ve tried to do the right thing—and yet things still aren’t going the way you hoped. Victory seems elusive. The future feels uncertain. You wonder if you’re actually making any progress at all.
I know that feeling.
As a church leader, there are times when I can feel like I’m losing ground. I see the cracks in our church and the ways we still fall short of our redemptive potential. I see the battle for the hearts and minds of our families and children. I feel the weight of relationships that don’t always unfold the way I hoped or desired. I can become overwhelmed by the size of the vision God has placed before us and aware of my own inadequacy to accomplish it.
And then there are the more personal battles. Waiting for hip surgery and being taken out of much of my normal active life has been a reminder that I don’t always get to choose the pace or direction of my life. There are days when I feel frustrated, limited, and, if I’m honest, like I’m losing ground.
Maybe you have your own version of that story.
Perhaps it’s your health. A relationship. Your marriage. Your finances. Your career. Your children. A temptation you can’t seem to overcome. A loss you’re still grieving. Maybe you’re wrestling with fear or doubt, wondering whether God is really with you.
Life can be hard. Things don’t always go the way we want them to.
So where do we turn when we feel like we’re losing?
Exodus 17 gives us a beautiful answer.
Israel had just experienced incredible victories. God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, parted the Red Sea, provided food and water in the wilderness—and now, while they were camped at Rephidim, the Amalekites attacked.
Joshua led the army into battle while Moses climbed a nearby hill with the staff of God in his hands. As long as Moses held up the staff, Israel had the advantage. But eventually Moses grew tired. His arms became too heavy to hold up.
So, Aaron and Hur came alongside him. They found a stone for Moses to sit on and held up his hands until sunset.
Israel won the battle.
There is something profoundly encouraging about this story.
First, we were never meant to fight our battles alone.
Moses needed Aaron and Hur. Joshua needed the army. Israel needed one another. We need one another too.
There are seasons when we are strong enough to hold our arms up, and there are seasons when someone else needs to hold them for us. That’s one of the gifts of Christian community.
When I’ve struggled with temptation, discouragement, or the weight of leadership, I’ve been incredibly grateful for brothers and sisters who love me enough to listen, pray, encourage me, and sometimes speak honestly into my life.
We don’t win battles in isolation.
Sometimes victory looks like having the humility to say, “I need help.”
But there is an even deeper truth in this story.
The raised staff was a visible reminder that Israel’s victory was not ultimately going to come from their own strength.
Their hope was in God.
That’s why Moses eventually built an altar and named it Yahweh-Nissi—the LORD is my banner.
In the ancient world, a banner or standard identified a people and gave them something to rally around. It was lifted high so that soldiers could see it in the middle of the battle.
God was reminding Israel: You have a banner. You have a rallying point. Your hope is not ultimately in your strength, your strategy, your performance, or your ability to control the outcome. Your hope is in Me.
That is still true for us. Sometimes I can feel like I’m losing because I’m looking at my circumstances instead of looking at my Banner. I look at what isn’t working. I look at what I cannot control. I look at my limitations. I look at my failures. I look at the things I wish were different. And God gently reminds me: Look at Me.
The future of the church does not ultimately depend on my performance. My future does not depend on my ability to control every outcome and my worth does not depend on how productive I am. And it’s true for you as well - your future does not depend on having everything figured out.
The LORD is our Banner, and our victory comes from Him.
This doesn’t mean life will always be easy. Israel still had to fight. We still face spiritual battles. There are real enemies of our faith—lies, temptation, fear, discouragement, pride, and the distortions that pull our hearts away from God.
But we don't fight from a place of abandonment. We fight from a place of belonging. We don't fight to convince God to love us because we know we are already loved because God gave us Jesus, the purest expression of His love.
In Numbers 21, when Israel was suffering because of their rebellion, God told Moses to lift up a bronze snake on a pole. Those who looked at it in faith were healed. Centuries later, Jesus connected that story directly to Himself:
“And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” — John 3:14-15, NLT
Jesus was lifted up on the cross for us. Jesus takes our sin upon Himself and pays the penalty we deserve. He covers our shame, and makes forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration with God possible.
The cross is God's ultimate banner.
And what does that banner say?
You are loved.
The cross declares that God has not abandoned you. It declares that your failures do not define you. It declares that sin and death do not have the final word. It declares that your circumstances do not dictate the outcome. Jesus does. And the banner He holds over us is love.
So when you feel like you’re losing, lift your eyes. When the future feels uncertain, lift your eyes. When relationships disappoint you, when your health limits you, when you’re discouraged by your failures, lift your eyes to Jesus.
You don't have to carry everything in your own strength, and you don't have to manufacture your own victory. You don't have to pretend you're stronger than you are because The LORD is your Banner.
And His banner over you is love.
So don't live under the banner of fear, performance, and self-sufficiency. Live under the banner of the cross. Fix your eyes on Jesus and remember: you are loved, you are forgiven, and you are not alone.
The battle may not be over and the outcome may not yet be clear. But God is still faithful. He is still good. And He is still fighting for you.
As Moses said, “The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” — Exodus 14:14, NLT
So, take courage and trust God. Keep walking in faith, and keep your eyes on Jesus.
Yahweh-Nissi—the LORD is our Banner.
Grace & Peace, Ryan
There are some seasons in life when it feels like we’re losing.
Maybe you know that feeling. You’ve prayed, you’ve worked, you’ve tried to do the right thing—and yet things still aren’t going the way you hoped. Victory seems elusive. The future feels uncertain. You wonder if you’re actually making any progress at all.
I know that feeling.
As a church leader, there are times when I can feel like I’m losing ground. I see the cracks in our church and the ways we still fall short of our redemptive potential. I see the battle for the hearts and minds of our families and children. I feel the weight of relationships that don’t always unfold the way I hoped or desired. I can become overwhelmed by the size of the vision God has placed before us and aware of my own inadequacy to accomplish it.
And then there are the more personal battles. Waiting for hip surgery and being taken out of much of my normal active life has been a reminder that I don’t always get to choose the pace or direction of my life. There are days when I feel frustrated, limited, and, if I’m honest, like I’m losing ground.
Maybe you have your own version of that story.
Perhaps it’s your health. A relationship. Your marriage. Your finances. Your career. Your children. A temptation you can’t seem to overcome. A loss you’re still grieving. Maybe you’re wrestling with fear or doubt, wondering whether God is really with you.
Life can be hard. Things don’t always go the way we want them to.
So where do we turn when we feel like we’re losing?
Exodus 17 gives us a beautiful answer.
Israel had just experienced incredible victories. God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, parted the Red Sea, provided food and water in the wilderness—and now, while they were camped at Rephidim, the Amalekites attacked.
Joshua led the army into battle while Moses climbed a nearby hill with the staff of God in his hands. As long as Moses held up the staff, Israel had the advantage. But eventually Moses grew tired. His arms became too heavy to hold up.
So, Aaron and Hur came alongside him. They found a stone for Moses to sit on and held up his hands until sunset.
Israel won the battle.
There is something profoundly encouraging about this story.
First, we were never meant to fight our battles alone.
Moses needed Aaron and Hur. Joshua needed the army. Israel needed one another. We need one another too.
There are seasons when we are strong enough to hold our arms up, and there are seasons when someone else needs to hold them for us. That’s one of the gifts of Christian community.
When I’ve struggled with temptation, discouragement, or the weight of leadership, I’ve been incredibly grateful for brothers and sisters who love me enough to listen, pray, encourage me, and sometimes speak honestly into my life.
We don’t win battles in isolation.
Sometimes victory looks like having the humility to say, “I need help.”
But there is an even deeper truth in this story.
The raised staff was a visible reminder that Israel’s victory was not ultimately going to come from their own strength.
Their hope was in God.
That’s why Moses eventually built an altar and named it Yahweh-Nissi—the LORD is my banner.
In the ancient world, a banner or standard identified a people and gave them something to rally around. It was lifted high so that soldiers could see it in the middle of the battle.
God was reminding Israel: You have a banner. You have a rallying point. Your hope is not ultimately in your strength, your strategy, your performance, or your ability to control the outcome. Your hope is in Me.
That is still true for us. Sometimes I can feel like I’m losing because I’m looking at my circumstances instead of looking at my Banner. I look at what isn’t working. I look at what I cannot control. I look at my limitations. I look at my failures. I look at the things I wish were different. And God gently reminds me: Look at Me.
The future of the church does not ultimately depend on my performance. My future does not depend on my ability to control every outcome and my worth does not depend on how productive I am. And it’s true for you as well - your future does not depend on having everything figured out.
The LORD is our Banner, and our victory comes from Him.
This doesn’t mean life will always be easy. Israel still had to fight. We still face spiritual battles. There are real enemies of our faith—lies, temptation, fear, discouragement, pride, and the distortions that pull our hearts away from God.
But we don't fight from a place of abandonment. We fight from a place of belonging. We don't fight to convince God to love us because we know we are already loved because God gave us Jesus, the purest expression of His love.
In Numbers 21, when Israel was suffering because of their rebellion, God told Moses to lift up a bronze snake on a pole. Those who looked at it in faith were healed. Centuries later, Jesus connected that story directly to Himself:
“And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” — John 3:14-15, NLT
Jesus was lifted up on the cross for us. Jesus takes our sin upon Himself and pays the penalty we deserve. He covers our shame, and makes forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration with God possible.
The cross is God's ultimate banner.
And what does that banner say?
You are loved.
The cross declares that God has not abandoned you. It declares that your failures do not define you. It declares that sin and death do not have the final word. It declares that your circumstances do not dictate the outcome. Jesus does. And the banner He holds over us is love.
So when you feel like you’re losing, lift your eyes. When the future feels uncertain, lift your eyes. When relationships disappoint you, when your health limits you, when you’re discouraged by your failures, lift your eyes to Jesus.
You don't have to carry everything in your own strength, and you don't have to manufacture your own victory. You don't have to pretend you're stronger than you are because The LORD is your Banner.
And His banner over you is love.
So don't live under the banner of fear, performance, and self-sufficiency. Live under the banner of the cross. Fix your eyes on Jesus and remember: you are loved, you are forgiven, and you are not alone.
The battle may not be over and the outcome may not yet be clear. But God is still faithful. He is still good. And He is still fighting for you.
As Moses said, “The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” — Exodus 14:14, NLT
So, take courage and trust God. Keep walking in faith, and keep your eyes on Jesus.
Yahweh-Nissi—the LORD is our Banner.
Grace & Peace, Ryan