Happy Warriors

The Joy of Battle

One characteristic of Christian warriors is that they are happy, upbeat.  This is so despite being often faced with overwhelming odds.  

One explanation for this strange state of affairs would come readily to hand for Unbelievers.  Many in our post-Christian world think being a Christian either reflects a simpleton-like mindlessness or a psychological malfunction to begin with--so being happy in the face of overwhelming odds would evidence the fundamental stupidity of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ in the first place. 

Despite the ravages of sin in our culture and a putative re-entry into the West by the Devil, Christians know that such things cannot last.
  The former Ruler of this world has been cast out.  We remain irrepressibly joyful because our Lord has ascended to the right hand of Almighty God and all authority in heaven and upon earth has been granted to Him.  He is to reign until the Father has placed all enemies under His feet.  Therefore the overwhelming odds which confront us are, to quote Mao, paper tigers. 

Here is the Apostle Paul on the matter:

(We are) regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. (II Corinthians 6: 8-10)

Happy warriors indeed.   We have always enjoyed Tolkien's description of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields:

And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City.

We suspect that just such a song was in Paul's mind as he describes his (and our) battle:

We endure . . . in hardships . . . in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons for righteousness for the right hand and the left. (vv.3--7)