The Warrior's Prayer

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]

2 I will say [b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."
Love,

Mom

Who will intercede for you?

Romans 8:26-30 (New International Version)

26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

More Than Conquerors
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Dear Warriors,

I pray that this gives you joyful hope in all circumstances especially when you are faces with life's trials and challenges.  I pray also that you are encouraged by the Spirit who knows your heart.

Love,

Mom

The Spirit's job...

Ephesians 3:16-19 (New International Version)
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Love,

Mom

You made my enemies turn their backs in flight

2 Samuel 22:31-37,40-41
31 "As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

32 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?

33 It is God who arms me with strength [a]
and makes my way perfect.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

35 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 You give me your shield of victory;
you stoop down to make me great.

37 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

40 You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

41 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes

Love,

Mom

Can you scale a wall?

2 Samuel 22:2-4,18-20,30

2 He said:
"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent men you save me.
4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

30 With your help I can advance against a troop [a] ;
with my God I can scale a wall.

Dearest Warriors,

I pray that you will call upon the Lord to be your support and your rescuer.  He is a rock, a shield, a stronghold and refuge and worthy of praise as He saves you from your enemies.  Oh, what a weapon in your time of need just waiting to be asked so you can scale a wall.

Love,

Mom

When the battle lines are drawn...

2 Samuel 10:9-12 (New International Version)

9 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 10 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. 11 Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. 12 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight."
Dear Warriors,

If the battle lines are drawn and the "Arameans" are too strong for you, God will surely come to your rescue. 

 Having never experienced anything like that other than feeling totally overwhelmed in a situation, I can only imagine the tendancy to panic and doubt yourself and your ability to handle it.  Not unlike the movie Mulan, when the Huns are coming over the hill and she is alone on her horse. 

I pray that your immediate reaction to the drawn battle lines is not panic but prayer.  Be strong, fight bravely and trust in the Lord.  May your eyes be open to all the blessings God brings at those terrifying moments.

Love,

Mom

God's victory

1 Samuel 30: 3-4, 6,8-10,22-23

3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.

6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

8 and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?"
"Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind, 10 for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.

22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go."

23 David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us.

Dear Warriors,

This a tragic story of what happened to the families of the followers of David while the warriors were living in the Phillistine camp while Saul's army sought to destroy them.  They were always faithful to the Israelites but able to fool the Phillistines. 

When God said "pursue them"(v.8), they successfully did.  When the time came to distribute the cashe, there were 200 warriors that didn't participate in the raid.  David is the only one who realized that the success was God's and not the 400 men who raided the camp. 

I pray that you always realize that the victory is God's and it is up to Him to distribute all His riches according to His will and plan not ours.

Love,

Mom

May no one see or know about you...

1 Samuel 26:11-12 (New International Version)
11 But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go."

12 So David took the spear and water jug near Saul's head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the LORD had put them into a deep sleep.

Dear Warriors,

This verse comes from the passage where David and his men are about to overcome Saul, who wants to kill David.  David finds him asleep and realizes that this is the Lord's anointed and it is God's job to deal with him not David's.  David is right near the enemy and has proof.  His men are anxious to do away with Saul but David stands his ground.  How amazing is it that they are safe, and escape without notice.  God's plans will not be thwarted.

I pray that you are not seen or known about by the enemy as you do your job.  It is amazing what can happen when you call upon the Lord.

Love,

Mom

Who is your advisor?

Proverbs 24:5-6 

5 A wise man has great power,
and a man of knowledge increases strength;

6 for waging war you need guidance,
and for victory many advisers.

Dear Warriors,

This is a reminder that the battle is not yours, alone.  Strength and power are not all you need.  I pray that you always seek advice and guidance especially when you are concerned about the battle.  Seek His wisdom and counsel.

Love,

Mom

Who should defy the armies of the living God?

1 Samuel 17:26,37,45,47

26 David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you."

45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

."

47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

Dear Warriors,

These are David's words when he heard the blasphemes that Goliath of Gath roared each day at the Israelites.  I pray that you know that you can go and the Lord will be with you as well.  The battle is the Lord's and He will give enemy into your hands.

I praise your,Lord, that the battle is always yours and only You have the power to deliver us from harm.  No matter how loud the enemy roars or how scarey they seem, You are sovereign.  Thank You for Your strength and wisdom that You supply to our warriors in time of need.

Love,

Mom