At the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312AD, Emperor Constantine of Rome claimed that he looked up in the sky and saw a symbol of the cross with the words “in this sign, conquer” spelled out underneath.
I have my doubts as to the legitimacy of his vision, but nevertheless, Constantine painted the cross on the front of his army’s shields, went forth, and conquered. That much is irrefutable.
I have never been one for religious paraphernalia. When I was younger, everyone around me wore those WWJD bracelets that asked the simple question: “What Would Jesus Do?” We didn’t wear them because I was taught that you shouldn’t need to broadcast your faith in that manner. The life you live will be testament enough.
Regardless, there is something unifying about symbols. In the first few centuries, the ichthys fish communicated the existence of a Christian faith from one person to the other. If you saw it, you knew that person was a believer.
In the Old Testament, altars were predominantly used to symbolize moments of faith. Moses build one after the Battle of Rephidim in Exodus 17 to symbolize God’s unifying capabilities. During that battle, when Moses kept his arms up, Israel “prevailed” over the Amalekites. When he dropped them, the Amalekites prevailed. Only by reaching out to God—continually—could Israel find success.
That’s why, when Moses built the altar, he named it The Lord is My Banner. A banner is used to rally people to a cause. It’s a symbol that everyone can get behind and push as one.
It’s also used to identify a group of people. In ancient military terms, a person inside a group or unit would hold a banner to tell the rest of the army who they were and, just as importantly, where they were. If any members got displaced, they would look for the banner and find their way back to their unit.
God is our banner, too. Not only does He identify who we are, but He also provides a rallying place when we drift away from His presence. In 1 Kings 8, when Solomon dedicated the Temple, he asked that God would remember His people when they were afar—spiritually and physically. Only by looking back towards Jerusalem (and His Temple) would they find their way back home.
In your life, you’ll inevitably drift away at various points. When that happens, instead of looking inward to “find yourself,” or looking down to see where you are now, look to God as your banner. Rally behind Him, and you’ll find your place again.
