For Saturday September 30, 2023

2 Chronicles 32:8
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God,
to help us and to fight our battles.

During World War I, soldiers did most of their fighting from the trenches. It was the safest and most effective way to try to gain victory over the enemy. Just one peek over the parapet of the trench during daylight hours almost certainly meant death for the curious soldier, and thus the trench walls played guardian to thousands of heroic young men from 1914 to 1918.

Every day, Christians are fighting life’s battles, spiritual or otherwise, from the trenches of prayer. But there are those who mistakenly believe they can stand up, face off with the enemy, and win with sheer determination. They are like the soldiers who do not heed the advice to keep their heads down.

Sometimes it feels as if the more we struggle, the more effective we are in the fight, but the Bible tells us that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). So the next time you find yourself braving the battlefield of life on your own, remember that there is safety within the trench walls of prayer. Victory can be yours when you bring your battle before the Lord.

Christ’s soldiers fight best on their knees.
D. L. MOODY

David Jeremiah, Turning Points with God: 365 Daily Devotions (Tyndale, 2014)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.