Never the Underdog

Greetings,

I like underdog stories.  Among my favorite are Rudy and Braveheart. There’s just something about facing insurmountable odds and winning that inspires me.  That is why the story of David in the Bible is my all-time favorite tale of triumph!

David was a peach-fuzz faced teenager when he showed up with sandwiches for his hungry brothers who were on the war front fighting against the Philistines, Israel’s enemy.  That’s where he heard Goliath, a “giant of a man” who was also the Philistine champion, taunting the Israeli army.  The Israeli army was “greatly afraid.” But David was asking: “Who is this guy? Who does he think he is “taunting and defying the armies of the living God?”  And then he volunteered to fight the giant.

Initially, David was dismissed. “You’re too young!” “You can never win against this mighty warrior!” “You don’t have a chance!” You’re just a boy; he’s a man of war!”

Actually, David was a young man of great courage. “He chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, and with his slingshot in hand, approached the Philistine.”

Goliath was greatly insulted that out of an entire army of men, someone who was “little more than a boy” would dare stand up to him, so “he cursed David by his gods.”

David’s reply is epic and one whose truth we can all treasure in our hearts: “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will hand you over to me...for the battle is the Lord’s and He will hand you over to us.”

Four Bible verses later, Goliath was dead – one little smooth stone flew straight from David’s slingshot into the middle of his forehead  -  the Israeli army surged forth to victory, and you and I are reminded that when God is on our side, we are never the underdogs.

What giant are you facing? It’s no match for our LORD!

Prayer: Dear Lord, many giants come against us with swords of fear and spears of worry. Give us courage! Right now, in Your mighty name, we ask You to hand us the victory over our struggles. The battle belongs to You.  We arm ourselves with prayer and trust you for the victory. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Take Up Your Position!

2 Chronicles 20:12 "God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to You for help."

Greetings,

A week ago I received a frantic phone call from a friend who was having a medical crisis.  Her liver was close to failing, and the doctors did not know why.  We prayed the verse above, except it sounded like this: "God, help us right now! Stop those enzymes from going up. We are powerless to do anything about it, and not even the doctors know what to do. Our eyes are on You; we are looking to You for help!"

It was an honest, simple cry for help, and He answered.  A couple of days later a liver biopsy showed there was no liver damage, and the enzymes went down to safe levels. AMEN!

As my friend and I wait for more test results, we are both clinging to the verses that follow the one above.

V.15 "...Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. The battle is not yours, but God's."

V.17 "...You will not have to fight this battle.  Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you...Do not be afraid...the Lord will be with you."

She and I have taken up our "position," which is one of prayer.  We are standing firm in the presence of God, and we are reminding ourselves that He is with us and that He is the one doing the battle until we see the full deliverance.

If you are facing a battle today, take up your position before the Lord and see the deliverance the Lord will give you too!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are looking to You for help. We are powerless to fight the battle; thank You that You are the One Who fights for us.  We position ourselves before You, and we are never leaving! In Jesus' mighty name, Amen. 

Saddle Up Your Horses~

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. Proverbs 21:31

Tuesday greetings, brothers and sisters J

We were made to contribute.  We were created to put forth our efforts. Even before all the problems came into the world, God had Adam hard at work naming all the animals He created.  God could have just as easily done this Himself, but He decided that our lives would be more meaningful if we had something to do.  This makes sense to me.  I can not imagine lying around all day and doing nothing because I enjoy feeling productive – like what I have done has made a difference.

And yet I have met all sorts of folks who are all about placing too much responsibility on God and not nearly enough on themselves.    

“I don’t wear a seat belt because God will protect me.”

“I don’t need health insurance because God is my doctor.”

“I know God has a soul mate for me, and He will send the right one my way.”

God does heal, protect, and provide, but we learned way back in the very beginning of the Bible that Adam named the animals: A human contribution must also take place.  Noah built the ark, Moses lifted the staff to part the Red Sea, David yanked back on that slingshot and let the stones fly straight into Goliath’s forehead, Hannah had to make love to her husband to get pregnant with the child God promised, and Christ Himself became human to save our souls.

Even so, after all the preparing, planning, battles, and prayer, the victory is God’s domain.  This is why Proverbs 21:31 is the theme verse for www.speedypalomino.com.   It is a constant reminder that I have a job to do and so does God.  I am responsible for saddling up my horse, and He is responsible for bringing the win.

Amazing things happen when we partner our measly selves to God.  Giants tumble and children of promise are born.   Obstacles that block our path move out of the way and entire families are saved!

What victory does God have for us today?  Better yet, what do we need to be preparing, planning, and praying over so God can bring the victory?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We want to be ready, and the first step in any good battle plan is to pray.  Give us the wisdom to saddle up our “horses” to be effective in battle.  And thank You that victory is in Your hands!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~  

Be Prepared~

Yesterday was quite an eventful day for Rayray, who has requested that I not show her lovely face.

She went in for her physical and fainted when they gave her a tetanus booster.

Now now--before y'all accuse me of being a negligent mom--keep in mind that Rayray is a full-fledged adult who insisted she could go to the appointment by herself. Besides, it's not like she hasn't fainted before. Four other times that I am personally aware of and maybe a couple where she blacked out but no one was around to document it.

One time she was in Sunday school and she stabbed her finger with a pair of scissors, and I kid you not--the teacher said Rachel fell asleep for a few moments and then woke up.

I suppose that's a delicate way of putting it.

On the bright side, Rayray was prepared this time around. She had an inkling that she might get queasy, so she was lying down when she "fell asleep."

Today's DEVO is about being prepared.

Prepared for what?

Proverbs 21:31 "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD."

Back in the Bible times the horse was the symbol of power and might--only to be used in times of battle. And a wise army always had their horses ready to take off at a moment's notice. A hungry horse with worn out shoes wouldn't be much use in an emergency.

Kind of like a half-hearted Christian who never prays or reads an inspiring scripture; when the crisis arrises they crumble rather than rise up to meet the challenge.

Not less than five minutes ago I had a conversation with a gal pal who said that a couple of years ago she was ill-prepared for a sudden situation in her family. And not that she would want to go through anything like that again, but if something ever comes up again she knows her first reaction will be to pray.

Happy dance time!

What are we going to do then? I say we prepare every single day--we strengthen our foundation. But we always always always keep in mind that even though we do our part, God still has the ultimate and best role--the victory! Nevertheless, people, let's give Him something to work with!

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Thank You that the victory belongs to You. Help us be prepared. Inspire us and draw us close to You. In Jesus' name, AMEN~