-April 14, 2023-
Good morning, happy Friday,
“Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”
(1 Samuel 14:6).
The power of God is not restrained, limited, or hindered; He can do all things in our lives and gives us the victory. Jonathan, the son of Saul, had the burden, the faith, and the courage to go up against the Philistines. He had only his armor bearer and the two of them faced a garrison of Philistines by themselves. But they weren’t alone, the Lord was with them and on their side. He gave them a great victory.
Jonathan had a plan, God’s plan, and he carried it out to perfection. He revealed himself and told his armor bearer that if the enemy said for them to come up to them rather than that they would come down to them, God would give them the victory. Sure enough the Philistines said, ‘Come up to us, and we will show you something.’ (1 Samuel 14:12a). Jonathan and his armor bearer climbed up the cliff on their hands and knees and killed 20 men in the space of an acre. Then Saul and his army put the Philistines to flight and won a great victory.
God is not restrained to save by many or by few. Someone said, “One with God is a majority.” God doesn’t need any help, just willing servants who rely on Him fully. Isaiah 59:1 says, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy that He cannot hear” God used Gideon and his small force of 300 men to win a great victory over the much larger Amalekite army. In fact, God commanded them to put torches in empty pictures. They used no weapons but they shouted, “…The sword of the Lord and of Gideon” (Judges 7:20). Joshua led Israel in marching around Jericho once a day for six days, then on the seventh day, they marched around seven times and shouted; then the walls of Jericho fell flat and they conquered the city also without any weapons.
We conclude that the Lord doesn’t need us, but His chooses to use weak, empty vessels like us to do mighty things for Him by the power of God. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is our’s as well. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the power may be of God not of us.”
Let us then take fresh courage. You may one person but you can make a huge impact with the Lord’s help. Have a blessed day making yourself available for the Lord to work through. The battle is not our’s but the Lord’s. Stay safe and healthy.
Trusting in the power of God to deliver by many or by few,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 