The God of Angel Armies: Part Three

The “God of the Angel Armies” is referred to in Haggai 2: 7. The theme is given contemporary life in the popular song by Chris Tomlin in which are these lines: “The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine, The God of angel armies Is always by my side.”

This God, the God of the Angel Armies, has engaged in many military conflicts. Secular history omits some of the most inspiring accounts of action in military conflicts. Following is an account of such a conflict in which He was the determinant of the outcome.

In 1814, the French military genius Napoleon, arrayed his army on the battlefield of Waterloo near Brussels. Napoleon’s force of 74,000 had superior cavalry and artillery. The very presence of Napoleon’s “Old Guard” was more imposing than the Republican Guard. Victory once again seemed to be easily within Napoleon’s grasp.

The night before the battle, as the churches of England were again filled with people praying, a strange wind blew an unexpected downpour onto the battlefield at Waterloo. At dawn, Napoleon decided to delay the engagement to give the field time to dry a bit. This delay until noon allowed a window of opportunity for the reinforcing army of Marshal Gebhard von Blucher to arrive to strengthen the forces of the British general, Wellington. That rain-resulting delay is credited by many as tilting the battle in favor of the victorious British.

Because of the indelicate nature of this part of the story most histories omit it. The rain and a microscopic bug defeated Napoleon. You see, this was before the days of Pepto Bismol and things were moving too swiftly for Napoleon to enjoy a Maalox moment. When the time for battle came, Napoleon was not only not in command of his forces, he wasn’t even in control of himself.

40,000 of his men lay dead on the field of Waterloo when the battle ended and in answer to the prayers of God’s people, the British victory was enabled by God’s grace.

It is this God who said, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5). Dare we cower in the face of our own needs with the God of the Angel Armies always by our side.