MIGHTY TO SAVE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because He was angry.

Smoke rose from His nostrils; consuming fire came from His mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under His feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His canopy around Him — the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of His presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of breath from His nostrils.

2 Samuel 22:8-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As many of you know, I am in the midst of an Army combat skills training course just outside of Columbia, South Carolina. The course is to prepare myself and others for our coming assignments to Iraq, Afghanistan or, in my case, Djibouti, Africa.

I’ve been here for around a week and a half now and one thing I have noticed about South Carolina is that they have some of the most beautiful night skies that you could ever imagine. Nearly every evening, the sky is crystal clear without a cloud in sight. This allows the stars to be revealed in all their splendor around a spectacular moon view.

Well…as I stand and gaze up into the heavens, I am reminded of the beauty and awesome nature of God. For He created everything we know and placed every one of those stars and planets in the place He appointed and scripture tells us He knows them all by name (Psalm 147:4).

Maybe there are other things that you experience that remind you of God’s awesome nature. Pause a few moments during this devotional and see how many you can think of, then write them down and pray with thanksgiving for the wonder and majesty of God when you pray tonight.

David sure took some time to account for the omnipotent power of God as he wrote his song of praise. For as we read our passage, we see how David speaks in strong terms about God’s power and might as it was applied to those who sought to do him harm.

First, we see where the Lord’s mere anger caused amazing effects on heaven and earth as both trembled under the stress of His wrath, punctuated by the smoke from His nostrils and consuming fire from His mouth.

And so as David’s enemies attempted to kill him, the Lord would have none of it. We read where He “parted the heavens”, “came down” with “dark clouds…under His feet” and “mounted the cherubim and flew” while He “soared on the wings of the wind”. As the Lord came down, darkness…the dark rain clouds of the sky”…was the “canopy around Him”. Additionally, we read where “the valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth” were “laid bare at the rebuke of the Lord” and “the blast of breath from His nostrils”.

Wow!

Imagine how David’s enemies must have felt when they faced the coming wrath of the Lord and His power. For “out of the brightness of His presence” came “bolts of lightning” as the Lord “thundered from heaven”…His voice resounding. Scripture tells us that the Lord’s arrows and bolts of lightning shot toward David’s enemies scattered and routed them.

In other words, the Lord was mighty to save for David…and the good news is that He is for us as well.

Friends, we serve an omnipotent, all powerful God…the Maker of Heaven and Earth…the Creator of all mankind. And when we open our eyes up fully to His incredible might and strength, then we can see where no one can ever have any semblance of victory against Him. David experienced it first hand and so will we if we place our full trust in the only One who is mighty to save us.

For truly, if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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