PROPHETS - DEBORAH - DAY THREE
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:
Isaiah 45:2
I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
REFLECTION:
Do you remember the first scene in Raider of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones tries to get the golden head from the temple? He has to work through a maze of puzzles, traps, and pitfalls. It was no easy task for Indy to get his prize and make his way to the end of his goal. Now imagine if someone had gone before him and cleared all the traps, solved all the puzzles, and cleared all the pitfalls. It sure would have made Doctor Jones' job much easier. He could have walked in, picked up the golden head, and walked right back out. No arrows. No spider webs. No giant bolder threatening to crush him.
In life, I think it's easy to think of ourselves as the heroic Indiana Jones. We believe we can make our way through all the struggles, challenges, and hardships in our lives to get what we want. This is wrong for two reasons. First, most of us would probably fall into traps set in our way. In real life, most of us are not the hero; unfortunately, we usually can’t reach our goal alone. The second reason is that we are NOT on our own. In life, we have that person who will go before us, clearing the way. God wants you to succeed. God wants you to live the good life. When you walk in His will and allow Him to lead you, you will get to your destination in life. Isaiah 45:2 says that God will go before you. He will clear the way, going so far as leveling mounting, tearing down the mighty gate of bronze, and cutting through strengthened bars of iron. With God going before you, there is nowhere you can’t go!
THOUGHTS TO PONDER:
Think about how God has cleared a path in your life. What paths do you need to ask God to clear out? What do you need to thank Him for today? Take some time to journal your thoughts.
