Psalms 68:1-3
“May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. God arises for his people.’
- DAILY READING 1 Corinthians 7:25-40; 1 Kings 21; Amos 5
The prickly purple thistle is one of the national symbols of Scotland. It was adopted as an Emblem of Scotland during the reign of Alexander III in the 13th century. Part of the reason why Scotland adopted the thistle as a national emblem is due to the story of how the thistle helped to save the country from invasion. According to the story, in the year 1263 when the Scots and Danes were at war, the Danes managed to land unobserved on the coast of Scotland. Under cover of darkness the Danish invaders removed their boots and crept on bare feet toward the unsuspecting Scottish army. Victory seemed certain for the invaders. But then suddenly a sharp cry of pain shattered the stillness. A Danish soldier had stepped on a thistle and it had pierced his feet. His shout alerted the Scotts and thus ruined the surprise. The alerted Scots sprang into action and drove the invaders from the country’s shores, winning the victory.
It is indeed interesting that a tiny thistle was what caused the invading Danish army to lose the battle. Though they had a water tight plan for a surprise attack, they were defeated due to an unforeseen circumstance.
Sometimes when the enemy thinks he has a watertight plan to defeat you, God sends him an unforeseen circumstance.
In 2 kings 19, when king of Assyria surrounded Jerusalem, it seemed inevitable that he would destroy the land. However when King Hezekiah cried out to God for help, The Lord told him through prophet Isaiah, not to be afraid of the situation because king of Assyria would hear news that will cause him to abandon his attack plan. And true to God’s Word, shortly after this, king of Assyria received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. And so he was forced to abandon his battle against Hezekiah to go and fight the king of Cush, and he never came back again, because he died in the process.
Indeed God knows how to send unforeseen circumstances to scatter the enemies’ plans against you. This is why you do not need to bother yourself about whatever noise the enemy may be making. God knows how to deal with them. The battle is not yours but The Lord’s. Just hold your peace and see the salvation of The Lord.
When the people of Judah were surrounded by three major armies, king Jehoshaphat looked up to the heavens and said, “God, we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” And God told him not to be discouraged by the mighty armies, for the battle was not his, but The Lord’s.'”
God is saying the same thing to us today; to quit worrying about situations that may seem too much for us to handle. It’s not your battle; it’s the Lord’s battle. The enemy doesn’t have the final say, only Jehovah does! God is saying “Stand still, and I’m going to show you My goodness. Stay in faith, and I’m going to turn that battlefield into your blessing field!”
God knows how to fight our battles and give us the victory. He knows how to use ways and means we never even thought of, to give us the victory.
Eph. 3:20 says, God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. The Lord is mighty in battle.
Psalms 68:1-3 says “May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.’
When God arises, all our enemies will be scattered. And one way to get Him to arise is to give Him praise. When you praise God He arises to fight for you. When you praise Him, He takes over your battles and gives you the victory.
PRAYER: Lord, please help me to learn to hold my peace and hand over my battles to You. Indeed You can fight for me in ways and means that far exceeds my expectations. I therefore thank and praise You, for I know You have given me the victory today in Jesus name.
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When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK DIVINE ORDER FOR A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS]