Today’s Devotion
Topic: Go! The Lord Be With You!
Text: 1 Samuel 17: 37
The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” Amen
Saul was a good king until he allowed jealousy and hatred to enter his heart. The obvious would have been no “David” if king Saul had not given in to the scary idea that a shepherd boy with no military background should represent the nation in battle.
Yes, it is true that the boy David demonstrated a lot of courage when he offered himself to face Goliath. Especially at a time when all Israel, including King Saul, were afraid. But come to think of it, wouldn’t that have been the more reason why David would be the most UNSUITABLE candidate to face Goliath? He was too young and inexperienced in battle.
All he had as evidence of his ability to fight Goliath was the experiences he’d gathered with bears and lions while tending his father’s flock. But how does that compare to any real life battle like the one pending between the Israelites and the Philistines?
King Saul however chose to believe in the courage of young David and gave him a chance. He also gave David his personal amour as a sign of total support. But the most beautiful of all was that, he blessed David by saying, “GO, AND THE LORD BE WITH YOU”.
Actually, this is the highest blessing any parent, superior, pastor, mentor or person in authority can invoke on a ward, student, apprentice, assistant or subordinate. That is to commend him/her to God for every possible assistance throughout an endeavour. “Go, and the Lord be with you” will be the single most powerful reason why young David would succeed; not just this one time as he faces Goliath, but for a lifetime as a warrior in battle and king in the place of Saul.
Tell every young person or subordinate to make sure they receive the blessings of their parents or superiors respectively, before taking that big step in life. Be it with their education, career, marriage, ministry, or even travels. The “Go” in the invoked blessing means take the step, move on, take territory, possess, conquer, succeed and multiply. The clause “the Lord be with you” invokes divine presence, power, ability, protection, anointing, wisdom, guidance, grace and any other divine assistance needed to make the “Go” possible.
Begin to pray now. Ask for the ability to serve well under people in authority so that they may release you for blessing. If you happen to be a leader too, pray against the tendency of being jealous and bitter towards your subordinates. Teach them well and release them for blessings. They will need it to survive. NOW, TO ALL WHO ARE ABOUT TAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS IN LIFE AND ALL WHO ARE TO CONFRONT A GOLIATH OF A KIND, HEAR THE WORDS OF THE KING. HE SAYS: ‘GO AND THE LORD BE WITH YOU.’
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