Scripture for Today: I Kings 20:23 “Meanwhile, the officials of the King of Aram advised him, ‘Their gods are the gods of the hills.  That is why they are too strong for us.  But if we fight them on the plains surely we will be stronger than they.”

Not far from our home are the World War I trenches overlooking the long disputed Alsacian plains.  Over the years the French and the Germans have repeatedly fought over these fertile plains and possession has passed back and forth.  But the price in lost lives has been high as seen by the number of graves next to the trenches.

In our verse for today is the erroneous thinking of Israel’s enemies.  They have limited the scope of God’s power to only the hills.  They are sure that their strength will prevail if they attack on the plains outside the reach of God’s power.  These enemies of Israel had a god for every area of their lives and assumed the same would be true of the Israelites.  The one and only God of the universe promised to deliver the enemy into the hands of the Israelites to show the extent of His might and power.

I smile when I read how faulty and illogical was the thinking of these enemies.  God’s Word reveals that the whole earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1).  His presence can invade every nook and cranny of this world and of our hearts.  There is no putting God in a box and limiting the sphere of His power.  But maybe I do the same thing.  Do I put artificial limitations on what God can do?

His power has no limits!  Thank you Lord, for Your greatness that surpasses my feeble understanding!

Scripture for today:  Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord.”

When I think of chariots and horses my mind goes immediately to the famous chariot race scene in the epic movie, Ben Hur. It took five weeks to film this nine minute segment and the studio used 15 thousand extras for the crowd of spectators.  There was an infirmary created especially for this scene because of the potential for injury.  There were no injuries, however, except some bad cases of sunburn.  Three life-like dummies were strategically placed to give the appearance of bodies run over by the chariots.

Horses and chariots were important instruments of war in biblical times.  The winning side in a battle were often those with the best built chariots and the swiftest horses.  In today’s verse, one can choose to place their confidence in their horses and chariots or in the name of the Lord.  The choice is basically the same today.  We can choose to place our trust in our own efforts, or we can depend on the strength of the Lord.  It is the Lord who gives victory with the power of His right hand. (verse 6) To trust in oneself is no guarantee of victory.

Trusting “in His name” is trusting God Himself.  The more I know Him personally and not just know “of Him,” the easier it will be to trust Him. (Psalm 9:10)  When I lack confidence in Him, I am doubting either His goodness, His control, or His power.  The more I get to know Him, the more likely I am to absolutely depend on Him.  It is only through a growing relationship that this trust can come. And getting to know and trust Him is worth every effort!

Help me Lord, to completely trust Your loving heart.