‘The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
DAILY READING Luke 3:21-38; Ezekiel 42-43; Isaiah 63
HMHS Britannic was sister ship to the famous Titanic, which sank in 1912. After the Titanic sank, the owners of the company that built it, the White Star Line, decided to build a more magnificent ship. The Britannic, which was launched two years after the Titanic’s tragic end, underwent several design changes, to give her the best chance of survival and to avoid another disaster. One of the biggest changes, was making provisions for more number of lifeboats, that would allow more people to escape from any potential disaster. The Britannic was launched just before the start of World War One. Though the ship was built for commercial purposes, the increasing demand of the war made the Britannic to be fitted out as a hospital ship, painted white with a red cross on each side. Ferrying the sick and wounded from the Middle East to the UK, the ship was generally given safe passage because of being clearly marked as a hospital ship. However on the morning of 21 November 1916, on her way from Naples and on only her sixth voyage, she was shaken by an explosion caused by an underwater mine. The ship was ruptured by the mine explosion and filled with water. She sank 55 minutes later, killing 30 people fortunately 1,065 people survived, rescued from the water and lifeboats. While the ship had been designed to avoid the Titanic’s fate, yet 10 minutes after the explosion, it was in the same condition, even sinking at a faster rate than the Titanic. The Britannic was so designed that the exterior conditions of the sea couldn’t sink her, but when she was ruptured by the explosion and sea water gained access into her, she sank within 55 minutes.
It has been said an entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you.
Proverbs 4: 23 says ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’
We must keep our heart diligently, because like a ship at sea, oftentimes it is what gains access to a man’s heart that brings him down. No matter what is going on externally we must ensure our heart remains strong in God. As long as your faith does not fail, you cannot fail. You can’t stop the storms from coming, but you can stop the storm from getting into you. In Mathew 14, though the storm raged around Peter, as long as he kept his focus on the master and his faith was strong, he could walk on water. It was only when he allowed fear to access his heart that he began to sink.
Faith failure is like heart failure. As long as your faith does not fail you, you can never sink in life. When your heart is full of The Word and faith, you can come out of any pit. You can ascend to any height. It is only a matter of time. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused and spent time in prison. On the outside, there was a lot of turmoil. But Joseph didn’t let what was happening on the outside get inside him. He remained joyful, he operated out of a place of peace, of faith, of hope. And God turned things around for him.
Saul chased David for many months in the wilderness to kill him. But David did not lose his focus on God. At one point he even had an opportunity to kill Saul while he was sleeping in a cave, but rather David decided to let God fight his battle. Despite all the outward turmoil, he refused to become vengeful or vindictive. His heart remained strong and confident in God. He wasn’t allowing the storm outside to get into him and make him bitter. And in the end, God not only took care of his enemies, but God promoted him and took him to the throne.
No matter what comes our way, it shouldn’t move us. Rather we must stay in peace, and keep our joy, knowing that God is able to fight for us. Whatever may be coming against you today in your health, your career, your finances or relationships; like Paul in Acts 20:24, declare in faith ‘none of these things move me’. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your heart strong in God’s Word. Remain in faith. Let God be your vindicator. And as Exodus 14:14 says ‘The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
PRAYER: Father please help me to always keep my heart filled with Your Word, so that I can remain strong in faith. I thank You that no matter what comes my way, through faith in You, I am an overcomer in every situation in Jesus Name.
quote :
For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a Kingdom mindset, that thinks in line with the Word of God. – WORDBITE 222.