PROPHETS - DEBORAH - DAY TWO
Hello and welcome to our weekly devos following our Prophets series! These devo’s are Monday through Friday and pair with this past week’s message. Be sure to journal your thoughts, vocalize your prayers, and find God in all moments of your life this week.
THEME SCRIPTURE:
Judges 4:1-7 (NIV)
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.
4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
Deut 31:7-8
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
REFLECTION:
In a world where being selfish is not only normal but encouraged, it makes sense to be the leader of our own life. Whether it may be related to our family life, our career, or simply what we will do in our daily life, we often go with what WE think is best. This, of course, does not feel like a bad thing. We know ourselves better than anyone else, so of course, we will be able to make the best decisions for ourselves. We know what makes us happy. We know what food we enjoy. We know what friends we like hanging out with and which friends we want to avoid. We make decisions based on feelings and our gut reactions. It's simple to lead our own life. For a lot of people, this method works well enough. However, I think we often forget that there is one who knows us better than we know ourselves.
As Christians, we have to chose to put down the role of the main leader of our life and allow God to lead us. This can feel like a challenge because it is often easier to have control than to trust God. We must remember that God goes before us. As Moses tells Joshua in Deuteronomy 31, the Lord himself goes before us and will be with us. What does that mean in our day-to-day life? It means that we must let God lead the way when things seem hard, when we have to make decisions, or when we are just living our lives. It also means that we can let go of fear and worry. When we allow God to lead our lives, we can know that things are in control and are going to be okay. God will never leave us or forsake us. We need not to be afraid or discouraged.
THOUGHTS TO PONDER:
Think about your life. Who do you allow to lead it? Are you taking control of things and trying to lead yourself, or are you permitting God to lead it? Remind yourself today that at all times, God goes before you. He will never leave you or forsake you. You can let go of fear and discouragement. Take some time to journal your thoughts on this subject today.
