Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 14:19(KJV): "The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous."

Thoughts for the Day:

In these verses found in Proverbs, the scripture tells us how evil men cannot prevail against righteous men. Verse 19 states that eventually the evil will surrender or bow before the good, and those that are wicked will stand before the gates of the the righteous, as they will not be able to gain entrance to their safe domain.  Gates are "portals" or "entry ways" into someone's territory. The righteous in Christ have the covenant promise of protection. Christians who claim that protection by faith will be in a place of safety.   The enemy cannot enter in at our gates. We can claim protection over our hearts, our minds, our bodies and our homes.  In fact, the scripture tells us that our safety is not in any natural provision that we make, but is really in the Lord.

Proverbs 21:31: "The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD."

This does not mean we should not make preparations for emergencies or battles, as scripture tells us to use wisdom by preparing for the future. However, we must understand that our real safety is our faith in the protection of the Lord. There were many battles in the Old Testament where the enemies of God's people greatly outnumbered them. However, when God's leaders sought the Lord for His battle plans, they would prevail over the enemy every time. We should always remember that you and God are a majority! Jonathan, in the Old Testament, knew this truth.

1 Samuel 14:6: "And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few."

Numbers will not help us, nor will lack prevent us from accomplishing anything that the Lord calls us to do. We must remember His sufficiency! There is another Old Testament story of God prevailing over the enemies of one man, named Samson, who used an inferior weapon to beat off the attacks of a thousand of his enemies.

Judges 15:15-16: "And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. 16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men."

David also was another man of God who before every battle would "inquire of the Lord" as to what he was to do.  Each time he received God's plan and obeyed, he would win his battles. In the story below, we find that David's enemies, the Philistines, came to rob his headquarters, located at Keilah. We can use this as an analogy of how when our enemy, the devil, comes to rob us, we can do the same thing that David did -- we can "inquire of the Lord" as how to overcome him.

1 Samuel 23:1-5:
1 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.
2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.
3 And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?
4 Then David inquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah: for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

The key to safety is being in a close relationship with the Lord so we can hear His battle plans. To be able to hear the voice of God, we must study His Word, pray and stay in fellowship with like believers. Psalm 91 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible and I claim it every day for myself and my loved ones. This Psalm should encourage every believer in the keeping power of our God.

Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your promise of protection from the enemy. Thank You for the many times that I have been spared from the evil plans of the devil.  I do appreciate Your angels watching over me and my loved ones. I am grateful that no weapon formed against me prospers.  Lord, I submit to You, knowing that when I resist the enemy, he must flee from me.  Thank You for answering me when I am in trouble and showing me the way out and how to overcome every problem that I face.  Lord, help all of Your people to know the promise of Your power to keep us from harm.  Strengthen our faith to trust You in all of our ways.   Amen.