The Lord our Banner

I was at my Church last night,  we’re having 3 days of Prayer and Fasting,  and during this time,  on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings,  having public meetings for prayer and praise.

We have a number of national flags and banners at Church, which people can wave during the service,  yes there’s a Welsh Flag there, which I’ve been known to wave especially when Wales win at Rugby!, yes you can take a man out of Wales,  but you can’t take Wales out of a man

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We have the Union Flag or Jack also at Church, and last night at the end of the service,  one of my friends,  who is an ex-soldier pointed out to me that the Union Flag (Jack) was upside down which he told me was the sign of distress, because for hundreds of years British Soldiers, Sailors and Airman have stood underneath the Union Jack, and many of those have died in the field of Battle,  and when they have died, they have been returned home and their coffins have been covered with Union Jack, my friend and I decided that we needed to fix the Union Jack and it’s now in the right position.

I was watching the Powell and Pressburger Classic War Film  The Battle of The River Plate,  where the British Royal Navy Ships,  HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter and the New Zealand Royal Navy Ship, HMS Achilles faced and defeated the German Ship The Graf Spee, has the British Ships went forward to engage the enemy,  HMS Exeter raised it’s Battle Flags.

When the people of Israel faced the Amalekites in Exodus 17:5 Moses raised the Standard or Battle Flag and called it YHWH  Nissi ,  (Yahweh or Jehovah Nissi) or in English the Lord Our Banner.

 For many years British Army Infantry Regiments  have carried Regimental Colours,  which signify a rallying point and where the commander is located,  The Lord is our Banner,  although I’m honoured to be both British and Welsh, and look to my national flags with a sense of pride and respect, when it comes to my ultimate loyalty, support, commitment, respect and pride,  The Lord is my Banner,  it’s to my Lord I look for my identity,  it’s under The Lord My Banner that serves as my rallying point because he’s my Lord, Redeemer, Saviour and Commander.

I said earlier that British Army Infantry Regiments carry Regimental Colours, these  are made up of two different Flags,  The National Flag or the Union Jack and the Regimental Colour , The Regimental Banner, can you imagine  a soldier saying that because my Regiment has a history and I think it’s dull and unexciting,  and my friends in this new Regiment say that there more opportunities and we’re more exciting why not join us, sometimes it’s easier to move to newer & greener pastures,   however it’s better to stay where you’re planted.