SATURDAY March 23, 2019
Trust God in the Day of Battle
So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son. And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
1 Samuel 13:22-23
The Philistines had gone out to the pass of Michmash; the day of battle was on Israel’s doorstep. Israel would have to engage their enemies with 600 men and no weapons. They were defenseless. The only swords found among them were with Saul and Jonathan. What could be done?
Saul as King of Israel was not leading his men––he had no guidance from the Lord. Where was Saul’s faith in His God? What was going on in his heart? Saul had been disobedient and rebellious towards the Lord. God had taken His Spirit away from Saul––the situation was demoralizing.
How different the situation was when King Hezekiah received a threatening letter from the Assyrian King Sennacherib. He tried to intimidate Israel with the accounts of his victories over other kingdoms. Sennacherib warned Israel they would not be delivered from him.
Trusting God, King Hezekiah took the letter and spread it before the Lord. Earnestly he prayed: …O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone” (2 Kings 19:19).Hezekiah caused the people of Israel to trust in God and not to fear. As he prayed in faith, look at God’s answer:
And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead (2 Kings 19:35).
There were no manmade weapons used in this battle! Amazing! Now when a day of battle comes into your life, will you trust God and pray?
At the root of the Christian life lies belief in the invisible. The object of the Christian's faith is unseen reality.
~A. W. Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
