“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” ( Isaiah 40:31).
The Bible has a rich cast of characters, some tragic. Like Saul a once heroic figure who fell to disgrace ultimately taking his own life. His story begins with the Israelites yearning to have a king. “But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.” ( I Samuel 10:19). Tasked prophet Samuel searched out and finally landed on him, spotting certain physical qualities. “They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?” ( vv 23-24).
For his 42 year reign Saul started out well, but at a certain point he lost way and lost the favor of the Lord. “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time” ( I Samuel 13:13). Saul gradually left the Lord eventually going as far as seeking mediums for protection. “He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her” ( I Samuel 28:6-7).
All this was to his folly. Ultimately Saul would perish on his own sword after loosing a battle that took also his sons. “So Saul took his own sword and …fell on his own sword…Saul and his three sons died together that same day. The man who carried his armor also died with them that day. So did all of Saul’s men” ( 1 Samuel 31:4-6).
The tragic fall of Saul is a lesson of one who starts out favored by God then looses way. Equally, any one of us may start out shining on a big stage but perhaps pride takes the better part of us and instead of seeking the Lord’s hand we turn elsewhere. Saul’s fate can be a good warning not to take the Lord’s favour upon our lives for granted.
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray to stay ever focused and faithful to you who has gotten me here, all this I pray in Jesus’s name.
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18/05/2024 - 19/05/2024 All day“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15)
Perhaps one of the most inspiring passages in the Bible with enduring lessons is where Moses pleads to Pharaoh to let the Jews go. Instead Pharaoh dared Moses if he had the power as that of a king. Challenged to “perform a miracle” Moses turned to Aaron who threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs (Exodus 7: 9-12).
What we see here is the presence of occult powers in high places, as is true even today. A common mistake by some is to deny the existence of the occult behind certain thrones or power centers, especially in instances where we find those putting on a genteel manner of social respectability. There are also those who through their education and confined exposure to the spirit realm of things, doubt the existence of occult powers. The reality is that in the world we live in the enemy is much at work. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
In this passage we see that while Pharaoh did release his snakes the staff God had placed in the hands of his messenger, Moses, was far greater and swallowed all. Here is the point. As believers we do have a far greater and mighty power to protect us from any attacks of the enemy. It is the blood of the lamb. As it is written, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony...” (Revelation 12:11).
Today whatever snakes you may encounter from anywhere be assured that you have a far greater power than of the enemy. It is the blood of Jesus. As His word says, “call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalm 50:15).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray for protection from the attacks of the enemy by the blood of the lamb, this I pray in Jesus’name.
