I believe we are a DIY nation. To some extent, that’s not a bad thing. People have learned ways and methods to get things done, while in the process, saving money and finding joy in the pleasure of taking on such projects, learning their way through it to fully execute it.
But some of the things we need to be most mindful of building cannot be found in a box or a creative idea. They must, with careful consideration, be approached with special awareness, carefulness, and love to ensure a proper build.
The Bible says “Every wise woman buildeth her house…” Proverbs 14:1. Rest assured, it is not a physical building we are called to hammer and nail (but if that is your skill set, good on you). But the actual construction of a house caused me to pause and ponder a few things.
One thing I realized is that for any house or building to be strong, there must be a good, strong foundation. Anything built on something less will not stand the test of time (see Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49).
There, one must ask themselves what kind of foundation they are laying for their house. Is it laid in truth? Is it poured with love? Is it smoothed out properly and settled in the care you have to hold and support those around you?
In just dealing with the basics of building next, we understand that there are walls needed in the building of a house. Strong walls show that you care and want to protect those in your dwelling. Unbuilt or broken walls give the enemy access to what’s yours. So, as Nehemiah said, “Let us rise up and build” Nehemiah 2:18.
Spiritually, we must stand in the gap as walls protecting what is ours. This will mean laboring in prayer, and sometimes fasting, and staying fortified for ourselves in His Holy Word that you may surround, step in, and cover others in their times of need.
Lastly in a physical building but first spiritually, we have the roof. Every house, no matter the design, needs a roof built on top of it. While this top can act like a covering of protection in much the same way as walls do, when I think of topping this house, I am thinking along the lines of spiritual authority. And of course, that authority comes by way of God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is He the head or the top of your life? Because if He’s not, it would be very hard to build, help, and encourage others toward Him when we have not fully submitted to Him for ourselves.
James tells us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” James 4:7.
James also tells us, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…” (4:8), and again, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (4:10).
All these work toward building that roof – acknowledging God’s authority over our lives.
Some areas may be harder than others to relinquish total authority, but in all areas, God must be Lord.
Her relationship with the Lord is key above all else, and in maintaining a healthy spiritual relationship with Him, she can support and oversee the maintenance of her own house.
A wise woman seeks to build a house that will stand because she cares, and in doing so, she takes careful measures to ensure that she builds her house properly.
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Winners and success stories, how often do we study their lives, habits, and choices to open a window to the possibility of implementing something in our lives that will benefit us.
Unfortunately, as the case usually goes, many examples come from a different direction or perspective in which we view life or in the course we want to take. Therefore, we will glean our lesson from the trusted source of God’s Word.
With that, we will look closely at the old familiar story of David versus Goliath. At the beginning of this story, the prospective winner has already been determined in the minds of those on both sides who attended that battle, and David is not their choice for a victor.
When Goliath was viewed, the world saw in him what they considered to be the ideal champion. They took into consideration his height, strength, weapons, and experience at war (1 Samuel 17:4-7, 33) and made what they thought was an accurate determination.
But across the Elah Valley, there was one whose stature and outward appearance weren’t as impressive, at least not to those who had drawn up for the standoff. He was considered meddlesome and nosy by even his brother (v. 28), too small and inexperienced for the fight.
What they did not consider was the unflinching faith David possessed on the inside. What they could not see about David was what marked him as a true champion for that time, and ages to come.
David possessed an uncommon confidence. (Vv. 23-32)
What do I mean by uncommon confidence? It really is as simple as it sounds. David’s character produced in him the ability to believe, to have an assurance that could not be matched by those around him. It is what caused him to stand out as someone uniquely special among the thousands gathered.
Taking the scene in perspective, daily the Israelites were challenged in their own faith through the tool named Goliath. As warriors dotted the landscape, when this massive man appeared, the men of Israel disappeared.
Physically they believed that they were no match to compete and win against this giant.
David, on the other hand, cared not for the man’s size or boast. His disdain for him was voiced when he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26).
There was no flinching or fear in his actions or voice. He was 100% ready to confront this enemy and be done with him and his army: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (v. 32).
It takes an uncommon, extraordinary faith to see something or someone so big and choose to not focus on it.
David saw the same thing those around him saw, but he chose to process what he saw through a different filter: faith.
As the rest cowered in fear, David stepped up and offered to do what no one else, not even the king, was willing to do.
Foolhardy youth? No.
The seed of faith planted in him grew greater than any fear this foe hoped to instill. David knew who he belonged to, and he knew who he served.
Uncommon confidence bypasses the scene before one’s eyes and focuses on Who is really in charge.
David refuses the voice of doubt. (Vv. 33-37)
It is always your choice what you will allow in your hearing and your heart.
Doubt will speak if you give it a voice. Open the door just a little, and it will consume the whole room.
When David stated his declaration to fight the giant, the very next words he heard were, “Thou art not able…” (v. 33).
Talk about letting the air out of the balloon. But words such as these people hear all the time. Even if they don’t present themselves in the same wording, the idea arises to discourage and draw one’s attention to the can’t’s of life: you can’t do this because…, you are not able due to …
These “can’t” phrases can rob you of the hope to push past what you see, and if David had allowed, Saul’s words would have done just that and prohibited his progress against this enemy.
But David refused. Instead of words of improbability and fear, he leaned on his experience with God, which he already had (vv. 34-37).
David had been delivered by God through unbelievable situations before when encountering a bear and a lion. Both animals, I dare say, would even put Goliath to flight had he come upon them.
Ferocious as they were, they, nor Goliath, can outmatch God. David knew that God was the one who delivered him before, and He believed with his whole heart that He would do it again.
David refuses to fight like others fought. (Vv. 38-46)
Experience is a great teacher and there are things we can learn from the wisdom of others who have fought the battles of this life before us.
But Saul was at a standstill in his faith. Not only did he lack it in the progression toward Goliath, but also in the way he expected David to fight.
He wanted David to wear something that wasn’t designed for him.
David wasn’t built like Saul – not in body or belief. So, he couldn’t fight like Saul would fight.
God has blessed each of us with our own unique style and gifts to carry forth in faith. God knows each one individually and has blessed each one with individuality.
The way He chooses to work in or through another should not cause us to neglect what He has placed in us.
This is a strong part of the faith lesson.
David could have shrunk back in comparison because he did not fit Saul’s design, but he didn’t. He worked what God gave him, how God gave it to him.
Comparing our abilities against the line of another’s calling will not only diminish your faith, but it can bring you to a total standstill as it did Saul.
Devoid of armor not fit for him, David, with stones in his hand, pronounced with faith to the Philistine: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied” (v. 45).
When David stepped on that battlefield, the real weapon he stepped up with was not found in his hand, but in his heart. It was a faith that Saul and the rest of Israel’s army lacked in their arsenal.
That’s why we can’t compare; it’s always the part of the fight that we cannot see that matters the most: the inside part.
David’s faith takes a stand and believes in God’s deliverance. (Vv. 46-48).
Jesus once spoke in rebuke to the Pharisees, saying, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34), and Proverbs instructs, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (4:23).
Those in the camp of the Israelites, their hearts were cowered in fear. But David’s heart brought him face to face with Goliath.
Unflinchingly, he took a stand, but he didn’t take a stand on his own merit. He took his stand based on what he believed in his heart about God: He is faithful.
David said, “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands” (Vv. 46-47).
In David’s heart, he knew this was not about him or what he could bring to the fight. “The battle is the LORD’s!”
Our hearts are considered to be the very center of our being. And in that center, David made sure God was the center.
In his life and in his fight, not himself, his circumstances, wants or desires were brought to the forefront. No, but the Lord God Almighty was his focal point.
Are we moving forward with hesitant steps because God is not the center of our progress?
True faith will always be a heart issue. With that, he moved forth in complete confidence: “David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine” (v. 48).
Where others hesitated, David quickened his steps – again, with no backing down. His heart would not accept decrease, but it seemed at every avenue he traveled in his life, his heart of faith grew more and more because he sought to put God in the center more and more.
David used his personal gifting. (Vv. 49-50)
Earlier we discussed David refusing armor that was not fit for him. Here, we focus on what is.
David had a unique way that he would face his giant, and it was going to be by using something small and seemingly insignificant.
Many struggle with their individual giftings. Compared to others, it may not seem big enough, influential enough, or polished enough. “If I could just _______, I would be able to _______” (you fill in the blank).
Every believer is gifted by God. But every believer may be gifted differently. When David stepped out with his little stones, I wondered what the onlookers thought.
To him, it didn’t matter. What mattered was being himself before God. This was his design. This was his gift. This is what he knew how to do well.
In a world surrounded by trends and social media, it takes bravery to be yourself. You will never succeed at being anyone but you.
Use what God gave you in faith, no matter how small it appears, and leave the results to Him.
Faith wins. (v. 51)
Little David slew the big giant. Not because he was smarter or stronger, but because every step he took in the process was a step of faith.
When any questioning arose or doubt was uttered, David continued forth in faith. He never gave the space of his heart permission to think about or adhere to anything else.
Some of our favorite faith verses remind us that: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), and “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Together, these tell us what faith is and what faith does: it goes on and believes God regardless of what is seen or not seen. And that’s what David did. He didn’t have faith, which was just talked about. His faith moved him into action to do something despite how the circumstances appeared.
Father God is in the business of stretching our faith. Bringing us to places or before situations we may view as strange, unimaginable tasks to conquer. He has something He wants to fulfill on the other side of that stretching moment but we, like David, must commit to the follow through in faith.
Faith is the access key to everything God wants to do in our lives.
Is your faith being stirred for more today? What are some hindrances to growing your personal faith?
Walking in faith and choosing to follow God by faith will carry you further than your own plans ever will.
But don’t be surprised if the victory you are anticipating comes in a way that you least expect it. Often God’s view of how something is or is to be will look much different than our own.
Nevertheless, David felt prompted to move on God’s behalf because of his sold-out relationship with God. He approached Goliath with an all-in attitude.
Retreating was never an option in his book. And even though David would go on to face other challenges (such as being on the run from King Saul), he still had space in his heart and repertoire to pen the words that would encourage himself and many hearts through fearsome trials, saying, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
That is faith language at its best. But remember, David backed his talk up with action. He lived a life operating with an all-in faith and you can, too.
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The cares of this life can be overpowering, but Jesus says, “Come.”
Through weariness and toil, Jesus says, “Come.”
The help you seek cannot be found in another, so, “Come.”
The tears you are crying are recorded in His holy register and ready to be bottled according to His blessed promise, so, “Come.”
The weightiness of the heart finds the consolation to be lifted and revived – “Come.”
The rest your soul desperately needs will encounter the Savior when you “Come.”
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
“Come” is your invitation from the heart and mouth of the Savior to get near to Him.
For the sinner, come and find the source of your salvation.
For the saint, come and find your rest and strength.
None is exempt from the need to come and be where Jesus is. None is excluded from the need for this heavenly supply. As the fervent crowds pushed through the doorway, or as Mary planted herself at the Savior’s feet refusing to be moved for the mundane, “come” is your welcoming address to enjoy and draw strength from the Savior, He who was pushed away and rejected that you would not be an outcast, but welcomed to come near. So, “Come.”
Thank You, Father God, for You rent the veil and tore forever this blockade. You provided the way, and it has been opened wide so we can “Come.” Amen.
He carried so much. More than “our sins and griefs to bear,”1 He carried the weight, the pain, the inner turmoil, and mental anguish the results of all the by-products of those sins and griefs, upon a heavy-laden heart and mind. Tears welled inside to the bursting, refusing to fall from the eyes that were singularly focused upon a greater joy.
It was the psalmist who wrote, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” Psalm 30:5, recognizing the temporary hold tears and sorrow have, especially when one’s heart is fixated upon a greater joy to be found in the morning.
For Christ, the illness of sin had made its mark on His body and throughout His person. Yet, in the heaviness of the load He carried, and the pain His holy vessel endured, we are told, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2.
Although the joy was there for what it would accomplish, let us not approach the pain He endured physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in a lackadaisical fashion. Let us not brush aside what strength of heart and mind this endurance called for. Let’s not subtract what the man, the person of Jesus felt and suffered at the hands of all these afflictions.
So heavy it was, and so hard it was, we couldn’t do it for ourselves: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” 2 Corinthians 3:5.
The tarnished state of man could never find in himself the satisfaction this heaviness of sin required, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. But in Christ, “ God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” Romans 3:25.
Sin was paid in full. Joy came at the thought and complete process and plan of the redeemed being ransomed from the clutches of darkness. But let us not be unmindful or take lightly the night afflictions He suffered through before the day dawned. In it, there was real pain and real sacrifice beyond the scope of what we can imagine. All for the joy that we might experience a glory unimaginable, where “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9.
The weight of what Jesus endured could not dim the glory of the greater joy in the morning. Aren’t we glad about it!
He suffered, To save, His greater joy Came to our aid, And satisfied the debt, We could not pay.
His joy is complete, In the sky We shall meet, The blessed Savior Our sins impaled Hands and feet.
Absent are tears Or turning away, Forever with Him We shall surely stay. Accepting His sacrifice Paved the way.
“This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.” John 2:11
It’s a miracle! That is a word many use loosely, leaving the true meaning in the abstract form or a watered-down version of the true power that reigns within it.
When discussing the word “miracle,” what comes to mind? Do you think of something extraordinary? Something that makes you do a double-take? Something that makes you scratch your head in amazement and wonder?
While we may have those reactions to certain things in life, a true miracle is something heavenly hand-crafted. It is something where you know if it had not been for God’s divine intervention, His holy touch, the outcome of what you were hoping and praying for would have been totally different.
The wedding in Cana became an event that forever displayed the nature of a true miracle (John 2:1-12). This event showed Jesus transforming the structure of one thing and completely making it something else. There is absolutely no way, outside of supernatural means, you can put plain water into clay or stone pots and draw out red wine. It just cannot be done. Even if one adds other elements to the water, it still would only produce something similar in taste and color, but not the real thing.
The only element Jesus used was His miracle-working power from heaven. The Bible explicitly tells us that nothing was in the pots but fresh water filled to the brim by the servants. That’s it. But Jesus, seeing the need that was in front of Him, stepped in, and divinely altered what they had into what was needed.
We don’t know how He did it, but if it could be explained so easily then I would have to question if it was a miracle at all.
As stated above, miracles leave you with no doubt who has worked in this situation or touched this life. Miracles ask for us to just accept what we have witnessed to be true, knowing that God has done something wonderful that cannot be explained according to our finite wisdom and understanding.
When Jesus performed miracles, people marveled and were amazed. They praised God. And a host of other varied reactions, but not once have I seen them take Him to the side and say, “Explain to me how you did that?”
Do you think the widow of Nain demanded of Jesus to know how He raised her son from the dead (Luke 7:11-16)? No, she just joyfully accepted it. Her son was alive again! And that was all that mattered. How about the Centurion whose servant was healed (Luke 7:1-10)? No, he just accepted it and took Jesus at His word.
The same reaction came from those who were delivered from evil spirits, those who were blind, mute, or lame, and then made whole – they all accepted the healing, accepted the miracle, and did not demand to know how He did it. They knew it was a miracle!
When God visits and miracles flow, lives are dramatically touched, changed, and healed for the better, and more than any thought possible. Miracles were real, alive, and true in the Bible-era days – and today, God can still work a miracle in your life. Just believe.
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23).
” For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:27
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Coming to Jesus with all our wrongs and trusting Him to heal and forgive is a walk of faith: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8). Now, that one has received that gift of God; that gift of salvation, they are now“the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” Galatians 3:26.
When Jesus transforms lives with His saving blood, we are renewed, changed, and adopted into the family of God. The old garments of self and sin have been shed and put off, and having “put on Christ,” a new life arises. A great exchange takes place when in Jesus we place our faith, and it is in Him, we want to stay covered. Now, let us press forward and not lessen the steps of righteousness in our lives. Let’s continue onwards and upwards, through struggles and toil, for at the end of life and the things we see, eternity’s gates are waiting for you and me.
The world may mix many sorrows in the pot, but God magnifies the beauty of life. Even the small things we could almost dismiss and count them as mundane. But the regular, normal, everyday stuff is not to be overlooked. For in them, we find a simplicity to be grateful for.
Take for instance something as simple as our five senses that fill our lives with wonder that we may miss otherwise. Touch. Sight. Hearing. Smelling, and taste. Oh, how these simple things enrich our lives. They allow us to feel the warmth of a hug, the soft texture of a comforting blanket, grass beneath our feet, or the petting of our favorite furry friend.
They open our eyes to see beauty budding in the Spring, a smile on a loved one’s face, flecks of color in the eyes of one adored, a sunrise dancing off the shores.
They allow us to hear music and laughter, words read aloud, voices we love to hear that are near, and birds singing their morning song in the trees above.
Our nose welcomes the smell of a fresh breeze, the fragrance of roses from the heart of your love, scents that only a baby possesses, and aromas coming from homemade oven-baked delectables that make our tastebuds rejoice at the anticipation of partaking of their sumptuous fare.
Little things. Simple things. Mundane things. But, oh so wonderful things. They are all around us. They are all a part of life. Let’s not ignore their benefits to our living, but recognize each gift they bring: “If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?” 1 Corinthians 12:17-19.
No matter how much or how little of these sweet and simple reminders we get to experience here, it is my belief that the expansion of all they add to our lives will be even more astounding when we enter that heavenly realm. For we are told in Scripture, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9.
The simplicity and joy we find in our five senses here will only be magnified when, through them, we experience fully the wonders of heaven.
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” – Isaiah 64:4
“Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!”– Psalm 31:19
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”– Psalm 16:11
“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”– Isaiah 35:10
Most often, when one thinks of healing, the mind automatically seems to focus on physical healing from an ailment or disease. While that is true, there are other areas of life and of the person that need healing as well. Any area where we feel there is a deficit or lack, any area that experiences brokenness and needs restoration is a place that needs the healing touch of the Lord in it.
I am moved by the many times I see Jesus’ real concern and compassion for what people are going through and dealing with when He reaches into their lives with His healing touch. From the time when sin and brokenness entered into this world, God has been in the restoration business.
In Ezekiel 47, we see a future prophecy of a river flowing from the sanctuary that healed the places where it flowed (vs. 6-12). While that ultimate healing will come as a result of us stepping into eternal life to live with God forever, when I see those mental images of Jesus healing people throughout the stories represented in Scripture while still here on earth, that leads me to believe that what’s flowing from the sanctuary in our future is available to us now in our present circumstances or crisis.
Christ is the source of everything we need for our future and present healing, for both physical and all the not-so-physical ailments we deal with (emotional, spiritual, etc.). “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
In Matthew 11, Jesus invites us to “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (vs. 28-30).
For every burden, Jesus has become our sanctuary from where all our healing flows. He told the woman at the well, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10, 14).
No matter what area of our lives needs healing and restoration, Jesus Christ is our sanctuary from which all the answers for our brokenness flow.
I bet you’ve never seen a bee like this one before, but as sure as this is the meaning of her name, this industrious lady of the Bible took care of her hive.
Wayward in heart and misdirected by sinful intentions describes the children of Israel after prominent leaders such as Joshua passed off the scene. It was then, that the people found themselves in a vicious cycle of sin, repentance, and deliverance, only to be repeated over and over again.
When they continued to travel out of the will of God, God would allow His people to experience times of adversity through the means of some outside force, usually via oppression from other nations. During this adverse period, the people would humble themselves before God, and God would extend His mercy by sending a deliverer their way in the form of what we call “judges.” These leaders of the day would not only be conveyors of what God had to say to the people at that time, but they would also be the instruments God would use to orchestrate their deliverance and bring them out of whatever trouble they currently found themselves in due to their disobedience.
When the judge God used for a particular deliverance passed off the scene, the disobedient hearts of the people usually found themselves entangled once again in idol worshiping and sin, and suffered another set of adverse conditions until God called another judge into action to rise and bring the people out once more.
The choice of discipline the people faced in Judges 4 was through “Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor” (Judges 4:2) who for twenty years “mightily oppressed the children of Israel” (4:3).
It was then, the Bible notes, that there was an unusual woman in the land of Israel. She was not only a wife, being married to “Lapidoth,” but she was a judge, a leader, and considered a prophetess. Her name was “Deborah” (Judges 4:4).
Not much is known personally of Deborah outside of Judges 4-5. We are not exactly sure how she received her calling from God to step into this place of leadership, but we do know that her ears and her heart were opened to God and He used her in a mighty way to not only bring about deliverance for the children of Israel but to also effectively lead them when they “came up to her for judgment.” She was likened, in her and Barak’s song found in chapter 5, as a mother who arose in Israel (Judges 5:7); a woman who cared for her people and her God, and believed through His leading and power they could do what God said they could do.
So, there she was found “under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgement” (Judges 4:5). I wish we had just an inkling of Deborah’s age (Was she aged with wisdom, or was she young and spunky, or was she somewhere in the middle but not given to mediocrity?), but we are not privileged with that information. Her story is not about statistics or the status quo (of which she was not). Her story was of faith and longing to do right for God and man. By gender, she may not have been the typical deliverer for Israel, but by faith, her story shows that God doesn’t put limits on who He can use or not. Sometimes, He thinks outside of the box and throws off the stereotypes to use the one whom we may least expect.
Are you a Deborah? Called into an unusual position during an unusual time?
Do you carry the burden of people and situations in your heart? Do you care about what God wants to do through the lives of others, and even your own life? Do you seek to be open to His services and to be helpful to those around you? Then, you may be a Deborah.
While your name may differ, the stirring in your heart is the same. While the roles you are functioning in may not look the same, the fact that you are seeking to function in His will for the benefit of God and man may qualify you as a Deborah.
In her, we see leadership.
In her, we see motivation.
In her, we see an open vessel ready to be used by the Master.
In her, we see a heart that will not fear or back down from the challenge.
In her, we see poise and caring, but she is also a force to be reckoned with.
In her, we see a faith that refuses to be extinguished by the circumstances of the day.
For one whom we don’t know much about, can we glean a lot from her short story represented in the pages of Scripture.
Unlike some around her, she was not a hesitant leader (Judges 4:6-8). Her name may call her as a bee, but she was lionhearted, sure, confident, and decisive and she literally rose to the occasion when her people needed her the most. She was a spiritual champion. I don’t believe she would wield a sword, but she sure wielded her faith. She had no qualms about going where God already told them they would have the victory (Judges 4:9-10). She could readily agree with the psalmist, saying, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalms 118:6).
Her confidence in God showed through her decisions, leadership, influence, judging, and prophecies (Judges 4:14). “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe,” (Psalms 29:25; see also Psalms 118:8). She may have been a woman, but she was not a wavering woman. She stood flat-footed and held on to the Word of God.
Through her guidance and encouragement as a godly leader, her people gained the victory over their oppressors and lived in peace for the next forty years (Judges 5:31).
Her name is Deborah. Read her story in Judges 4-5, and be encouraged by the tenacity of her life.
“The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.” Judges 5:7
How any dreams have been put off, never to be revisited again? Today, we ACT against that.
Procrastination and complacency are a deadly plague in our society. Theirs are the ruin of many dreams. The dasher of many hopes. But what a feeling to step forward and act! Putting steps behind ones thoughts and movement behind ones ideas is a beautiful process filled with power because those steps and movements, in even the tiniest form, will help you to arrive at a place you may never have dreamed of before.
The Bible encourages our actions by telling us, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute” (Proverbs 12:24). When one is diligent, they are going toward something. Yes, it may exert more energy then you are used to. And yes, all the answers may not be before you, but forward you must go. The dream inside demands nothing less. The hope that burns within says regardless of what you currently see, this is possible.
But, my friend, diligence is the key word. With the absensce of it, nothing will ever happen. Proper actions in wisdom will lie dormant, and dreams and purposes will remain unfulfilled.
More lies in your future, but fear, uncertainty, and inaction can stand as a wall before you. But diligence and action will look at that wall and know there is more on the other side. Persistent effort says I am not afraid of the hard work it may take to get there.
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