This morning I awoke from a dream in which the Lord was saying to me, “Stop trying to fight battles that have already been won.”

Talk about something to chew on all day.

Today, amidst finishing the final touches on my latest manuscript and getting it turned into the publisher; I thought long and hard about what the Lord was telling me. What battles was He talking about? My children’s ups and downs? Finances and booksales? Weight loss and health? My grandchildren’s needs? The women at my church? My friends and their problems? Maybe all the above?

Weeks ago, Jim and I visited Gettysburg National Park and marveled at the beauty of the landscape. We stood as the sun was setting and imagined the great battles that took place there. The loss of life was staggering and I thought of the blood that watered those now peaceful fields.

This is very nearly the anniversary of that battle in 1863. If you’ve not seen the movie Gettysburg, I highly recommend it. They seemed to have done a very good job with the history and the accuracy of the time period, emotions and characters.

Perhaps the most pivotal moment of this battle came at the Battle of Little Roundtop. In a moment of desperation Colonel Chamberlain led his men in a bayonet charge that saved the day. He did the seemingly impossible fueled by pure guts and the knowledge that if his men failed–the war might well be lost.

I stood looking down at the grounds where the Confederates charged the Union soldiers over and over, and where Chamberlain’s men finally turned the tide with their attack and had tears in my eyes. So many good men died and others endured wounds in order to fight that battle.

Today, thinking about what I felt God was telling me, I imagined someone saying that the Battle of Little Roundtop needed to be fought again–that the original battle while successful, was somehow inadequate to accomplish the needed victory. After all, that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing with some of my battles. Battles already won by having been nailed to the cross. Battles that were fought in times of spiritual warfare where the Sword of the Spirit (God’s Word) and the Shield of Faith were all that were available. Battles where I knew there was no possible way I could win, but still knew I must.

I love the way God uses such simple things to set my prospective back to rights. I need to remember that my battles were won at Calvary–they don’t need to be refought. The victory was complete. Now it’s time to rest.