1 Samuel 2:1-2

And she said:

“My heart is strengthened in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in my God.
I smile at my enemies;
I rejoice in Your salvation.
Because no one is holy like the Lord,
No one is righteous like our God,
No one is holy but You.”

Encouraging Words

Hannah is another one of the special characters in the Old Testament. Like many of the other women in the Old Testament for their great faith, she went late into her life with no children. Then God answered her prayers and gave her a son, Samuel. Samuel, who would later become a great profit. Samuel, the man that this book is named after. In her exuberance and joy, she prayed the prayer that these two verses start. We too should pray prayers of jubilation when we see God’s mighty hand at work in our lives. Glory be to God!

Judges 16:20

And Delilah said, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” So he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as before, and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

Personal Challenge

We are so blessed to live in the new covenant where Jesus has promised to never leave us or forsake us. However, it is still possible for us to harden our hearts toward Him to a point where we no longer see or feel His presence in our lives. The story of Samson shows us the process that we can go through to get to this point where it looks like God has departed from us. Sampson was set apart for God. He had lived a life where he was extremely blessed by God and did great and wonderful things for Him. But then he started acting as if he had done these things on his own and began to leave God out of the equation. That was the first step. Then he fell in love with Delilah, a woman that was an enemy of God. We do this by falling in love with things of the world that are contrary to God. It could be a person. It could be stuff. It could be a cause. But if it is not of God, it is against Him. Finally, he gave his heart, his allegiance to Delilah and turned his heart away from his first love, God. When he did this, and when we do this, God is no longer there with us or better stated, we are no longer there with Him. That is when disaster ensues. The answer to this is to constantly be running back to God and seeking His presence in our lives. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Judges 7:9-11

On that same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. Listen to what they shall say, and afterward your hands shall be strong and you shall then go down into the camp.” And he went down with Purah his servant to the edge of the camp of the fifty.

Encouraging Words

The story of Gideon continues as God tries to convince him that He will guide him and his army to victory over the Midianite oppressors. But once again, God does not do this as we, mankind, would expect. Gideon calls for volunteers to join his army and 32,000 men step up. But God says, “No! This is too many.” They go through a process of elimination and end up with 300 men. However, the text says that the Midian army was as many as the sands of the sea. This is a large enemy. Why would God do this? He did this so that all of the credit would go to Him and not to any man or group of people. And of course, Gideon was still skeptical, so God told him to sneak down to the enemies camp and see for himself, why he had nothing to fear. The rest is… His story. Glory be to God!

Judges 6:12

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, mighty one of the armies!”

Personal Challenge

How would you feel if you were Gideon? The Israelites had been under oppression by the Midianites. Their land and the fruit thereof had been taken away. If you were caught trying to gather food you were persecuted or killed. So Gideon found a way to get some grain and thresh it in a winepress so that no one would see him. While there, this Angel of the Lord (pre-incarnate Jesus) shows up and calls him, “mighty one of the armies.” I think I would be thinking, “who are you kidding!” How often do we shrink away from the oppressions in our lives in fear that we will never be able to make it through them? How often do we read in the scriptures that God is there with us, but let the burdens of the world overtake our belief in God? God is with us! God does want us to be the mighty ones of His army and will equip us for that role, but we must trust Him and follow Haha. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Joshua 1:6-9

“Be strong and courageous, for you will divide this land which I swore to your fathers to give them. Be strong, therefore, and courageous to guard yourself and to do as Moses My servant commanded you; then you will not turn away from them, to the right nor to the left. In this way, you will have understanding in whatever you do. The book of this law shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may have the understanding to do all the things written therein. Then you will both prosper, make your ways prosperous, and have understanding. Behold, I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be cowardly or fearful, for the Lord your God is with you in all things, wherever you go.”

Encouraging Words

Our God is with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. He never departs from us, even when we attempt to abandon Him. We get our strength and courage from Him. But we do not get this on our own accord. As God instructed Joshua, He instructs us. We must study those who have gone before us and learn from them. We must feed upon the teachings of God just as we feed upon food to sustain our bodies. We do not become strong and courageous in a vacuum. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Joshua 1:5

No man shall be able to oppose you all the days of your life, and as I was with Moses, thus I will be also with you. I will not forsake you nor disregard you.

Encouraging Words

Jesus told His disciples, and ultimately us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” This was not the first time that this promise was given to God’s people. Joshua was challenged multiple times to be strong and courageous. That challenge was always followed by the promise that God will be with him. We too can claim that promise. Glory be to God!

Deuteronomy 31:8

“But the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be afraid, nor be terrified.”

Encouraging Words

If we truly believe that our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, then we can claim this promise that He made to the Jewish nation. We are not alone in our journey through life. We have a God that loves us, cares for us, and is actively involved in every aspect of our lives. Glory be to God!

Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be valiant and strong, do not fear nor be afraid of them, nor be terrified before them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes before you and with you and among you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Encouraging Words

We are never alone. God is always with us and ready to protect us as we go through this difficult and challenging world. He is serious when He tells us to be valiant and strong and to not fear our enemy. This is a living, active faith that shows that we love and trust Him. We can trust His promises to us. Glory be to God!