Monday Morning Devotion-April 6, 2020

Defend and Deliver

The Lord said°" I will deliver you."   Judges 7:7

     This morning during my devotional time I read this:

            "When facing a battle that you think you don't have the resources and strength to fight what's coming against you, God wants you to realize how completely you can depend on Him.  He is your defender and deliverer in every moment of your life."  ("Jesus Our Perfect Hope" by Charles Stanley).

            Then Dr. Stanley added: "He is not just the Savior of your soul, but your Defender and Deliverer in every moment of your life, and you are always safe relying upon Him."

            Those are comforting thoughts during this time when each day brings more news of the devastation being reaped on the world by the coronavirus. 

            Imagine how concerned Gideon was in the face of his own coronavirus.  Obviously, his enemy was visual but just as frightening.  The Midianites were a fierce desert people who used camels in their attacks which, in those days, was an innovation in combat. They had ruled over Israel for seven years.  

            Their most serious threat came when the Midianite warriors invaded Palestine.  The Israelites were driven into the hill country as their territory was attacked and crops and cattle were plundered for seven years. ("Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

            Then along came Gideon.  Well, he was there all along but he, like the rest of his people, was feeling helpless against the Midianite threat.  Then the Lord sent an angel to Gideon.  He found Gideon hiding out from the Midianites in the winepress.  Usually he would be threshing the wheat outside so the winds could blow the husks away.  He would be visible to the enemy if he did that, so he was hiding inside.

            The angel addressed Gideon as a mighty warrior.  Not exactly the picture Gideon had of himself but the angel gave him these comforting words: "The Lord is with you." 

            Those are the words we are called on to remember in these trying times.  Sometimes our fight against the virus seems like an impossible task.  So, did Gideon's battle against the Midianites especially when God reduced his number to 300 soldiers. 

            God had a plan for them.  A strategy that caught the Midianites by surprise and gave Gideon's army the victory.  

            Dr. Stanley says: "The same is true for your battles today.  It could be that not only is the challenge too big for you, but you have been cut off from the resources you're accustomed to relying upon.  You're more limited, weak, and powerless now than ever.  Stand by.  Your omnipotent God is orchestrating your deliverance in a manner you could never have imagined. So, you can see the mighty workings of His power on your behalf.  Count on it."

            Dr. David Jeremiah says that God has two levels of planning for us:

            First, He has a plan for the history of the world. All the current global events are unfolding under His providential eye. Even the leaders of the world's greatest nations are like grasshoppers to Him. If we look closely, we can see events moving toward the prophetic promises of Scripture.

            Second, He has a plan for you. God is both infinite and intimate. Psalm 139:16 says, "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed" (NLT)

            He adds: "God has an incredible, unchanging plan for us and for our world.

            Spending time in prayer is the way you allow God to deliver you, protect you, comfort you, guide you and give you peace.  Obviously with the way this new mystifying virus is changing routines and curtailing normal activities we have even more time to spend in prayer. 

            Some suggestions along those lines from www.first15.org are to:

            1. Meditate on God's desire and ability to deliver you from whatever lies before        you today.

            When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their     troubles.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

            Psalm 34:17-18

            2. Reflect on your own life.

            Where do you need deliverance today?  Ask the Spirit to give you revelation about           an area from which He wants to deliver you.

            3.  Spend time in God's presence opening your ears to hear all that He would speak to you.

            Ask God to deliver you.  Pray boldly that your Heavenly Father would come         through for you in mighty and miraculous ways.

            While these are certainly difficult times unlike any before experienced, they can also

be times in which we get closer to God as we examine the ways in which He is our Defender and Deliverer.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father we continue to strive to know you better as we experience the many ways in which you are our Defender and Deliverer.    Amen!