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Gen. 30:11 Gad, “A troop comes! How fortunate!”

Here Leah expresses her delight after her maid, Zilpah has given Jacob another son. The name Gad can be translated to mean either fortunate or a troop, which are both welcome responses after a season of wrestling.

In your walk with God, your ministry will experience some of the most blessed seasons of favor and fortune immediately after some of your most pressing wrestling moments. The devil knows his time is short, and he will throw his forces of hell against you just before the break of day.

The lesson Jacob and Leah are celebrating here is that they are not alone but have the resources of an entire troop surrounding them in the battle. The revelation of the power of numbers and the multitude that are with us propels our ministries into a position of favor, strength, and victory rather than being buffeted at the hands of the enemy.

There is strength, exponential strength, in numbers. “A strand of three cords is not easily broken,” Ecclesiastes 4:12 summarizes the power of a company of people, a troop. In my 25 years of doing battle, there are a few seasoned warriors who I know will lift my hands during the battle and come to my rescue like a cavalry. These trusted brothers and sisters are our secret to lasting success in ministry.

Ecclesiastes elaborates, “Woe to him who is alone when he falls. For he has no one to help him up.” (4:10) Israelite armies, Egyptian armies, Roman legions all recognized the power of a unified army in standing against the enemy. God sent Gideon and his group of 300 as “one man” against the Midianites and won the battle. This unity and comradery is a treasure of warfare that makes the struggle sweet to the warriors.

Says my brother, Randy, “Pleasure doing battle with you.” We instantly remember and instinctively know the many times God had come through for us when we gripped hands in prayer against the enemy. In your desire to plant a work of God, you will inevitably face battles and demonic powers that are beyond the ability of one person to defeat.

Developing a troop mentality is the key to overcoming regional principalities. No one person is left on the wall alone, but we are connected to one another in the work, and at the sound of the trumpet, everyone runs to the battle.

Whoever is surrounded by such a troop is truly fortunate. I consider myself exponentially blessed by the band of brothers God has surrounded me with for the battle. Together, we are Gad and we are glad to fight alongside one another.

The Ferry’s Spirit

We’ve trudged through many travels.
Long, lonely highways lined with steep medians and shady trees,
Flattened fields of leveled land where puddles soak farmer’s sowed seeds.
Deeper into Virginia’s dismal swamps
Cyprus trees ankle deep in rising black waters.
A littered, desolate roadside with
corrupt remnants of earthly scenery.

Finally arriving at our destination after contradicting directions,
unsure turns, and God knows how many signs we ignored.
Some doubt the ferry’s coming as we sit
trapped at the end of this weak bridge,
the aged old wood creaking, ready to collapse.
Sea gulls hover above, wings spread like
angels watching our grounded halt.
The sea swelling and hissing beneath us like
monsters constantly chewing at our supports,
Wanting more to consume in their muddy currents.
And we sit idly behind fogged window, waiting
Our ferry’s arrival

Across the James River, a mystic mist prevails over all things seen.
Through this white air, our ferry appears,
Silently like a spirit. Porting with the steady power
And promise of a savior.
Although it came unseen it floats solidly before us,
Waiting to carry our weight and those with us,
Our only means to the far shore.

We ascend the ramp in faith,
Trusting its buoyancy to hold us,
Keep us from drowning in the sea below.
The ferry energy like nothing felt before
Moving us when we thought we were still.
Awed by this assuring power,
I briefly step from my steel shell,
Letting the sparkling air revitalize
The deepest portions of my dead chest.

March 13, 1989