Locked Shields and “Lord Willing”: Living in Gospel Partnership
So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
Philippians 2:29-30
How do believers stand together in spiritual battle? This devotional explores prayer, partnership, and learning to live and plan “in the Lord.”
One of my dearest friends, Diane, often ended a conversation we were having while making plans with the quote, “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.” While she said it with a smile, I knew she was reminding us that our plans were in the Lord’s hands. Similarly, my mother-in-law often concluded making plans with the phrase, “If God wills.” Again, recognition of God’s sovereignty over all of our plans.
While Paul did not use either phrase, he does keep repeating a phrase that steadies my life in the Lord:
“I hope in the Lord Jesus…” (Philippians 2:19)
“I am confident in the Lord…” (Philippians 2:24)
“Welcome him in the Lord…” (Philippians 2:29)
His plans, his friendships, his ministry, everything is tethered to this anchor in the Lord, in the Lord Jesus.
This is why Paul can speak with both intention and humility. He makes plans, but he does it with “Lord willing” stamped across the page. He knows the future is not his to control. Prison has a way of teaching you such truth. Prison took away all control of his outward life. Suffering has a way of teaching you this as well. The Christian learns to say, “These are my plans… but my life is in the Lord.”
Paul’s language of “fellow soldier” also stands out (Philippians 2:25). This is battle language often used to describe Roman soldiers: shields locked together, shoulder to shoulder, moving as one unit. Paul is saying, “We are in a war against evil, and we do not fight alone.”
Women need this reminder. We can carry our burdens like we’re the only ones standing. We can treat ministry like an individual performance. We can treat prayer like an afterthought. But Paul treats prayer and partnership as essential equipment.
This is why Paul sends Timothy and returns Epaphroditus. He understands covenant community, common union. God didn’t call isolated believers to survive on private faith. He called a body, a family, a people who share the same Spirit:
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by agreeing, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Philippians 2:1–2
I have felt the sweetness of this in very practical ways. There was a time when I had this vision for a “date night” for our couples class. I wanted the room set like a café, warm, inviting, thoughtful. I wanted to do it myself as a gift to them. And then I came home with a broken leg and realized: I can’t do any of it. I was forced to let go.
A friend stepped in and said, “Let our group do this as our gift.” And they did it beautifully, better than I ever could have. I walked in, and I thought of Tom Sawyer getting everyone to paint the fence, you know the story. But beneath the humor was a holy lesson: when the body functions as the body, joy multiplies. Gifts are unleashed, and exhaustion is avoided. Pride is humbled, and God is glorified.
Paul had that “uncanny ability” to spot giftedness and unleash it. He was not a one-person program. He didn’t hoard ministry; he didn’t build his identity on being needed, but rather he poured himself out and invited others into the work. We are wise to watch, learn, and apply Paul’s example to our own circles of influence. Years ago, I read a book on women’s ministry. The first chapter asked, “Are you a one-woman show?” At the time, I was a Bible study teacher and realized I was that woman. The Lord used this author (I can’t remember her name or the title of the book) to transform my view of women’s ministry.
I laid out the vision to other women in the church — create a Bible study consisting of multiple small groups, each requiring a leader and co-leader, where older women taught younger women, community was cultivated, relationships deepened, and Scripture was primary. Our small Bible study immediately grew to over 200 women. The study was no longer a one-woman show but a place where women hungrily devoured God’s Word and formed deep friendships. We watched covenant community grow.
Paul’s leadership style was discipleship and mentoring. Spiritual mothering and fathering require humility on both sides: humility to invite, and humility to accept the invitation.
Prayer as Essential Equipment
It also requires prayer, real prayer. Not the “I’ll pray for you” we toss around casually, but the kind of interlocking-shields prayer that says, “I will stand with you.” I think of missions and the way God sends some out while others hold the rope. When you see one woman speaking or traveling, you are never seeing only one. You are seeing the prayers of many.
Paul treats prayer like warfare. And when women pray this way, persistently, specifically, with faith, God uses it to strengthen the weary and advance the gospel.
So here’s a question to sit with today: Are you living like a soldier with locked shields or like an isolated struggler? Are you asking for help or offering help? Are you praying with others, not just for others?
And another question: Are you making plans with “in the Lord” at the center? Paul is not passive; he’s purposeful. But his purpose is submitted to his Lord. This is the posture of joyful faith in hard seasons: active obedience under sovereign grace.
This is how you walk by faith with joy when life is hard. You anchor yourself “in the Lord,” you lock shields with the church, and you take the next obedient step, together.
The Beauty of Sacrificial Love
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Pick one person to “lock shields” with this week: pray together, not only alone (Philippians 2:1).
If you tend to do everything yourself, practice letting someone else use her gifts, receive it as God’s kindness.
Add “in the Lord” to your planning: Lord willing, I will… and then entrust the outcome to Him.
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.
James 4:15
PRAYER
Father, thank You that You do not call me to fight alone. Teach me to live in the Lord, my plans, my fears, my service, my friendships in the Lord. Knit me to Your people in prayer and unity. Help me to honor the gifts of others and to receive help with humility. Make us faithful soldiers who stand together for the gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
