euteronomy 20:1
When you go into battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people greater in number than you, be not afraid of them: for the Lord your God is with you, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

These words were spoken to the people of Israel during the review of the law ahead of their crossing the Jordan to possess the Promised Land. If the Lord delivered such a promise to the people of Israel in the old covenant, how much more would He be with us who in the new and better covenant are much more than His people: we are His sons and daughters. No matter how strong our opponents look, no matter how dire our circumstances, no matter how much we may seem outnumbered at any moment, the Lord's promise is that He is with us, that He will fight for us, and that the course of history is under His control.

The promise is - should be - a source of hope, a focal point for the confidence of our endeavors: the manner in which we receive this promise should be an exercise of our faith. The Old Testament Israelites abandoned God, culminating in rejecting His Son, and things did not go to well for them as a result. The Lord will not reject His sons - if we remain faithful to Him. We intend to remain faithful, so why expect anything but future blessings from God here on this earth? As long as we are faithful, God will fight on our behalf and bless our work here on earth. So let's remain faithful and optimistic for the future, but at the same time we should remember that faithfulness of the mind and the obedience of action are inseparable.

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