WATCHWORD:
O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. Psalm 40:7
David answered, “You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he’s handing you to us on a platter!” Samuel 17:47 Message
Meditation:
Put Up Your Dukes
We don’t think that being a Christian will mean we will engage in battles, and yet they come our way. The fight may be in our own lives being tempted to sin and, in effect, renounce our faith. The fight might be in the struggle we encounter when asked to donate our hard-earned cash, or time, or when called upon to express compassion, or love for our “neighbor”, etc., as broadly defined by God.
Sometimes the battle comes to as we are engaged in the simplest activities. I experienced such a battle, recently, but, as it turned out, it was an easy one. Driving in my car, I approached a busy intersection and was stopped by the traffic light. As I sat there, I was approached by a young lady carrying a sign that read, “Please help me. I need money for food for my children.” At that moment the battle rage within, between my skepticism and my compassion. I pulled out my money, and was faced with still another struggle. I had a $1 bill and all the rest were twenties. I took one of the twenties, folded it and handed it to the young mother. He response was, “God bless you.” A battle won.
Not all battles are that easy, but all battles belong to the Lord. It is our job to recognize that our struggles are in the hands of God and live accordingly. With Christ on our side we are free to live like God will deliver us, like he works to protect us from harm. The life of a Christian can bring us peace and calmness when we are convicted to the point where we cry out to Him and put all of our struggles before the Lord.
The crises that come to us, which often seems like daily occurrences, work to steal away our calmness and peace. Those struggles are there to tempt us to renounce our faith in God. And while we may despair of such battles, but when we surrender them to our Lord, we often find they are the birthplace of the miraculous. Decisions that we make in the strength of our faith, pretty much over-shadows decisions we would make on our own, without Christ in our lives.
Yes, the battle belongs to God, but it does require strength of faith and trust in the Almighty. Amen.
Prayer That St. Teresa Prayed Each Day:
Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every so I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine, and so to be a light to others. (May it so be with us.) Amen.
