I woke up this morning and checked an online post. Something I usually do not like to do before I give the first part of my day to God by praying and reading His Word. Sure enough, this post was about doom and gloom, and almost instantly I started to become afraid of the future. I then caught myself, and the Word of Second Timothy 1:7 came to me and it is, “He did not give us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and of a sound mind.”
Have you been feeling as if you are in an emotional battlefield? May be the loud weapon blasts are like the things you hear all around you on the news/social media that evoke fear in your mind. The comrades that you see falling around you may be like friends/family who only seem to tear you down or who you see are also falling away, giving up hope, and wanting to drag you down with them. May be you are exhausted from trudging upwards on the field and it feels like the marriage that only seems doomed to fail no matter how hard you try. Or may be it is the confusion, disorientation, and hopelessness that you begin to feel when it seems COVID-19 restrictions are back in play and the kids may have to do online learning again.
When troops went into battle, a banner was raised at a certain rallying point. The soldiers would look upon that banner and not only be able to regain their bearings and focus, but they would again be filled with hope and the purpose for which they fought. In His Word, it says that God’s banner over us is love. And we know that “perfect love casts out fear.”
So the next time you feel afraid, confused, disappointed, or hopeless, open the Word of God (banner) and declare that God is fighting the battle for you and He will lead you into victory.
God, in these dark moments, help me see the banner You have raised up for me. Help it bring the hope, encouragement, and courage that I need today.
“… when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it…” – Isaiah 18:3
Simple Prayer For Today 