1 Sam 17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

God is in charge. He doesn’t need human means or power to accomplish what he wants done. Instead of a standing army, his greatest strength marches on in an embryo growing quietly in the womb of Mary. The closing battles continue, but the war is already won.

Pray for the peace of your household.

Judges 16:20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you! He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

Samson didn’t follow the Lord’s ways. He wanted to follow his own path. He chooses the wrong direction and is influenced by Delilah, who also doesn’t follow God. So, what do you expect will happen?

Keep ignoring the wisdom and guidance of God, and he will honor that decision. Eventually, we get what we want, even when we don’t want God.

Pray for an increase desire for God.

Judges 6:16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

God doesn’t need numbers when he defeats evil. All are as one with Him. This makes it all the more remarkable that God treats us as individuals. Instead of destroying us as one because we are human and sinners, he opens for us new life through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Each of us is invited to taste the mercy of Jesus, and have our lives restored. If you want God in your life, you get him.

Pray for forgiveness in doubting God’s power.

Joshua 1:5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

Still another reason to have confidence in the God of the Bible. He is there for us. What would it be like to be in relationship with God as Moses was? We have that access and more through Jesus. We don’t have to think about what it would be like, we open ourselves to God’s Spirit and it becomes a reality.

Ponder about being confident in God today.

Deuteronomy 33:26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.”

“Jeshurun,” is a poetic name for “Israel,” that appears four times in the Bible. The God of Israel (Jeshurun) is everywhere, poetically described as soaring in the universe ready to right wrong. Whenever we look up in the sky we can’t help but think of being immersed in God’s protection.

Take some time looking up during the day and night.

Deuteronomy 31:6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

During modern times of war, those who are in charge generally aren’t on the front lines. This makes the United States Air Force intriguing in that per capita, it’s officers see much more combat.

Jesus leads God’s peace brigade and gives his life for the sake of his own people and for the sake of his enemies. What kind of leader is Jesus? The only one who will actually bring lasting peace. How does eternal peaces sound?

Pray for those in the armed forces that they will be protected and bring protection, justice and mercy.

Deuteronomy 28:6 Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.

When God calls people to follow him, he expects them to obey his teachings. In Deuteronomy 28, there are 14 verses that speak of blessing that will come as God’s people obey, and 53 verses talk of the curse that will befall those who say they trust but do not obey.

Well, that’s about a 4 to 1 curse to blessing ratio. Which is just about the reality ratio of how much we get messed up when we follow our own ways. Following Jesus, God promises he takes the curses, while the blessings remain. Nice odds!

Pray for Jesus to reveal himself in a friend’s life today.

Deuteronomy 8:17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’

Quite often there is a sympathy for the atheist who has no one to thank for good fortune. The great danger of atheism is to consider yourself the ultimate source of all good in your life, because at some point, and repeatedly, we all fail miserably. Despair for your own failure follows, or anger if you transfer the blame for the failure outside of yourself.

Followers of God are not exempt from this, either. We spend a lot of time taking God for granted, and taking credit when things are going well. I have a lot more in common with an atheist than he/she might realize.

Pray for an atheist or agnostic friend today.

Deuteronomy 8:5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.

When the Israelites experience hard times in the wilderness wanderings, it is ultimately for their own good. That which is challenging and brings pain, suffering, anxiety, and discomfort might be exactly what we need to grow and be built up in character.

Not always though. Much of the time our troubles are the result of our own sin or those who sin against us. Yet, God can make good out of that, too. There are no wasted moments to life on earth. Just opportunities to grow.

Pray for someone going through hard times today.