"So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him"- Isaiah 59:19
In ancient wars there were certain rules which all parties observed. One which every party knew was the raising of the white flag. If an adversary raised a white flag it was an admission of defeat and all swords would be lowered to the victory of the foe. The standard was the white flag.
Likewise, when the Lord decided to pluck the first born sons of the Egyptians who were resisting Moses’s pleas to let the Israelites go, in their case, He too asked for a standard. “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” ( Exodus 12:12-13). The standard was the blood of the lamb.
As believers the enemy is always on the attack. He does so through trials and afflictions to turn us away from the Lord. But as we see here we have a standard we can raise against the enemy. It is the blood of Jesus. Once you raise up that standard, “The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven” ( Deuteronomy 28:7).
So, dear friend in Christ, whatever force maybe set up against you, know that once you raise the standard of the blood of Jesus, all the enemy’s powers are rendered hopelessly moot and doubly defeated.
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, for any attack against me and my familiy, I raise up a standard of the blood of Jesus to cover me and of which no force of enemy can penetrate, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
Related upcoming events
-
27/04/2024 - 28/04/2024 All day“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1).
In the wildlife, a common feature is predatory animals chasing after less ferocious ones, which on a bad day become good dinner. Through the savannah plains of Africa the antelope tends to suffer that fate. After a long chase from a mighty lion, cheetah or leopard; antelopes that survive tend to retreat to a fresh water spot. There they gladly refresh their quench with streams of water.
King David, must have been more familiar with deer, as there are more common in the Northern Hemisphere. For us in the tropics we can substitute the deer with our antelope, commonly chased by predators. After a long chase, of course all pant for pints of water.
The significance of this metaphor is that whenever we encounter any situation that puts us on a chase, where do we run to! Habakuk 3:19 says, “The Lord God give my strength. He helps me run fast like deer. He leads me safely on the mountains” (Habakuk 3:19).
Two things of note here. The Lord can make us run as fast as the fastest antelope being chased by a predator to a well of safety. And of course, as we run, we have that the well of God to end up to and refresh ourselves! This is why David wrote, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today like the antelopes of the wildlife I run to you, to that well of life, which refreshes my soul, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
