“Then the Philistine came on
and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he
disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome
appearance. And the Philistine said to
David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine also said to David, ‘Come to
me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the
field.’
“Then David said to the
Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to
you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have taunted. This day the Lord will
deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head
from you.
And I will give the dead bodies
of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild
beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or
by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.’” I Samuel 17:41-47
“But
the principles by which David lived his life in that story are intended to be
the principles by which you and I live our lives. This is not a story to be relegated to
moments of escapism and fantasy, but it is the record of how a child of God
became a man of God.”*
Read
all of I Samuel 17 this weekend and mark all the lessons there! It’s an amazing demonstration of one young,
naive, but trusting boy accomplished with his faith and a stone! I wonder why King Saul didn’t take this as a
warning and reminder. We all need to
pray that our hearts are tender and open to the Lord’s leading and that we do
not pride ourselves in “knowing what we should do” without risking “following”
what we see in Scripture.
Take
care with love, especially His! Your
servant and friend in Christ, Darlene
PS: ANY PRAYER UPDATES TODAY? Please
send updates! For any of you who wonder if prayer is worth taking time
for, just page back through previous entries and see the hand of our loving
Father in action!
PRAISE
& THANKSGIVING: Hans, a new hungry baby Christian has found a fellowship and
started his new job yesterday. For J&S,
special friends, as they begin to manage some normal life for the first time in
years.
NEW PRAYER
REQUESTS: That those in the news media
do not forget those still without power and heat from super storm Sandy and the volunteers who are still working
tirelessly. Barbara was found,
but still things are very difficult for her.
For Linda as she closed her practice
that the Lord will open new doors for her.
For Rob as he grows
through some things. For Jodie as she deals with the
knife edge of corporate politics. For Kent & his mom, the doctors
have stopped treatment for her cancer and are making her comfortable. Laura
S as she reaches out for answers, that she finds the Truth. For Rik
who just lost his mom.
Adrian, really struggling with ongoing
pre-treatments for his deteriorating spine.
(His cancer is the same rare type as Deb below with link). It’s sad that he faces this battle without
friends or family with him to support him.
He’s growing very tired and the pain meds no longer help. He’ll soon be in Royal Brisbane Hospital for
a month of chemo. If anyone’s near there, please let me know. He needs some visitors & love!
That the Lord loves and comforts us through challenges we could not face
without Him and for good friends during times of difficulty.
PRAY
FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS: David R doing well through
complicated health challenges. For Jon C, as he meets the
challenges of life after a stroke. Paul NS. Tim
(my little brother) with CPRD, needs financial help, especially with no health
insurance -needs a disability pension. Steve Barns for relief from great pain
and depression. Tyler & Jenna as they continue to care for baby Bexleigh.
For a solution for Audley and
Beverly (she’s disabled from a stroke and needs a carer during the day
so Audley can go out and work). Tim B
with headaches, that his doctor will OK a new procedure for relief. For Carlton
suffering from horrible infections in his bones.
Deb, special friend with multiple
Myeloma (please see her blog at this LINK. (http://debdarley.blogspot.com/ )
Wisdom for doctors caring for so many, including Tim, Doris, David, Gary, Deb, Adrian and Annette’s friend Sue.
ONGOING
JOB RELATED: Barbara’s
(sister-in-law) project ended and she needs new work. For Tim,
my amazing brother, that he might find satisfying work. Paul
K who resigned from his job and is setting up a consultancy. Pray for a new project for me and wisdom and
strength from the Lord to make faith-based decisions.
ONGOING
PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray the Lord’s hand is
dramatically apparent in the lives of all who receive and read this
devotion...that His mighty works would be worked out in each life for His
purposes!
Pray
for PJ. For Annette
as she begins some new career adventures.
Pray for Isaiac Catorce,
his family and ministry in the Philippines. Please pray for Deepak as he struggles through
some challenges and searches for sponsorship for his work. Pray for wisdom of my brother as he deals with
an important matter.
For
Roger as he considers options
for a pledge of heart. Adam who’s becoming involved
with a cult that’s filling many unmet needs. Scott,
for strength as he struggles and grows (for Donna as she encourages him). For David
K, in his studies. For Kevin
(Godly wisdom with his son), Michael.
Elaine
and Jim back in Hong Kong.
PRAY
FOR THE WORLD: God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His
children there and for the many nations suffering from global financial
mismanagement.
*Christ For Real by Charles Price