Promise for Today - Banquet On the Battlefield

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

Psalm 23:5 (NIV)

King David knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but Saul was still king and decided to kill him. David had to hide from Saul in caves while lies were being told about him across the kingdom. Yet David never retaliated, because God was preparing him to be a king who followed God’s heart.

David said of God, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5 NIV). Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn’t have to use up all his energy defending himself, because he trusted God to be his defender.

It takes a lot of faith and humility to trust God and rest when you’re under attack, when you’re misunderstood, and when rumors are spreading about you. When that happens, everything in you wants to rise up and do something about it. 

How do you handle people who attack you? You don’t. You let God handle them. Trust God to be your defender.

Not only does God want to defend you, but he also wants to fellowship with you. The Message paraphrases Psalm 5:11 this way: “You’ll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration.”

Both Psalm 23 and Psalm 5 paint the picture of a banquet, or a party, at an unlikely time—not just when good times are happening but when you’re under attack.

If you’re in the heat of the battle right now, God knows about it. Maybe you’re fighting for your job, your health, your sanity, or your dignity. While the battle is going on, God wants to throw a banquet for you to offer just a little encouragement.

God wants to host a banquet on a battlefield. That kind of encouragement is available to you today when you surrender your worry, pain, and control to Jesus and rest in his promises to you.

If you’re a child of God, your heavenly Father is proud of you. Critics may spite you, slander you, ignore you, ridicule you, or libel you, but they can’t stop God’s blessing on your life.

As the Bible says, “He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me” 

Song of Solomon 2:4 GNT.

Talk It Over

What battle are you in right now? What opposition is staring you down?

What will you have to let go of in order to surrender your defense to God?

How does resting during a battle help you fight better?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         Arise, O Lord, and defend Your people. Lead us swiftly through the valley of the shadow of death. Come as a pillar of fire and illuminate our path to make it away from hostility and lead us into Your land of promise. Shield us from the plots of the wicked who would cut us off from Your life-giving grace. Instead, let us dwell in Your courts and grow in our holiness through Christ. 
     Keep our souls pure and washed clean by the blood of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Guard the doors of our hearts that nothing unclean can enter into us or have any influence over us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - God's Plan of Defense

I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter. 

Psalm 62:5-7 (GNT)

You’ll always have people in your life who misunderstand you and don’t like you. Others will criticize you, judge you, attack you, and spread rumors about you. In all of these circumstances, your natural tendency will be to fight back. When you’re misunderstood, you’ll want to defend yourself. When you’re attacked, you’ll be tempted to launch your own attack. When people criticize you, you’ll want to criticize them. When people insult you, you’ll want to hurl back your own insults.

Don’t do it! Instead, let God be your defender. Every time you are attacked, criticized, ridiculed, or misunderstood, you have two choices: You can defend yourself, or you can let God defend you. Which will it be? Who do you think can do a better job defending you? You or God? Of course, God can.

Pay attention to this: You’re most like Christ when you say nothing in the face of attacks, lies, and unfair criticism. You’re most like Jesus when you remain silent and leave it in God’s hands. The Bible says, “When [Jesus] was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge” (1 Peter 2:23 GNT). In the face of his unjust conviction and persecution, Jesus did not fight back. When it mattered most, he trusted God to defend him and bring ultimate justice.

King David was criticized and attacked his entire life. In fact, people repeatedly wanted to kill him because they were jealous of him. But David said this: “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter” (Psalm 62:5-7 GNT).

People will be jealous of your success, and some will even want to attack you. But like David, you need to let God be your protector, your Savior, your defender, your victor, and your shelter.

Let God handle it. Let him be your defense.

Talk It Over

What practical things can you do in a tense moment to keep from speaking or acting in retaliation?

Why does God want you to remain silent when you are under attack? Why doesn’t he want you to try to prove that you’re right?

How does someone’s attack on your character say more about that person than it does about you?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          You are our refuge and our shield, our strong tower in times of trouble. Stand before us, Lord, as our defender against every seen and unseen danger. Surround us with Your mighty presence, and let no weapon formed against us prosper. When fear tries to creep in, fill our hearts with Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Fight for us, Lord, and let Your justice prevail. We trust in Your unfailing love and rest in the safety of Your hands. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.