Our Heavenly Prize

The enemy hates the faithfulness of God’s people. As we read the Bible, we can see the torment that oppresses those who love and worship God. As we step out in faith, seeking and trusting God to deliver us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, the enemy gets mad!

You will know you are headed in God’s direction because the attacks will become heavy, paralyzing, and constant. This is Satan’s ploy to turn us away from our Source, our Savior! He knows that when we take our eyes off of God, we will look inward, we will grow weak, and we will become distracted from all those opportunities that God has lined up for us which are purposed for His glory, for all to see!

In times of trial, we must call out to God in prayer! This is our weapon of defense, cleansed by the blood of Jesus, wearing His robe of righteousness, we are to go before God in prayer. This is hard to do at times but only because the evil schemes of darkness are working against us. Satan does not want us to pray. He knows that when we fall to our knees before God, in our helplessness, we become mighty and an unconquerable force to be reckoned with.

Prayer does not mean to get holy in our words. It simply means an honest and open conversation with our Father who is for us (Romans 8:31). We should feel encouraged to empty out all those things that grieve us. He wants us all to come to Him because He is focused on our presence (not distracted in any way), He cares, He listens, and He answers.

In fact, I found myself this morning weak and dumbfounded by my own personal issues. Before getting out of bed, I contemplated a “battle plan” to combat my current funkiness and as my plans were forming, I sunk even further.

I suddenly realized that I can do nothing to relieve my funk! Instead, I wilted in sadness and told God all my complaints. I cannot fight this battle on my own. There is no fight left in me. Help me draw close to you and do not let me do things my way. I put all my worries at His feet and mustered the energy to get out of bed.

I made a cup of tea and took it to my quiet space and opened my Bible to Psalm 13.

Help us, Father, to depend fully on you. As your children, teach us how to rely solely on your deliverance. Show us what this looks like! It is not what we do but it is EVERYTHING you do. Help us to praise and thank you for ALL the things you have done, are doing, and will do. In Jesus’ Name, amen!

Let us reaffirm our trust in God by reverently telling Him, “We trust you!”

Father, we may not be privy to what You are up to but we have faith that whatever You are doing is good. We have confidence in your steadfast love and rejoice in your salvation. Not just our eternal Salvation but our daily salvation. Thank you, Father, that “no weapon formed against us shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17, NKJV). Whatever our current circumstances are, we have faith we will not stay in them. We have faith that You will use each trial to deepen our faith, trust, and love of You. The events in our life are not meant to harm but to prosper, to give us hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

Rejoice!

Our battle is spiritual. James 1:17 says:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

We cannot win in our own strength; we were not designed this way.

“I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him,
bears much fruit; for without Me you
can do nothing” (John 15:5, NKJV).

There are no expectations on any one of us to get out there and overcome without the power of the Holy Spirit! We are to trust God and leave all the rest to Him. He sees what we cannot!

Father, we put our trust in You. Although we may feel apprehensive, scared, sad, and anxious. No matter these feelings, Almighty God, we know you are victorious. We know this because the Bible tells us so!

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God
and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV).

Look what David says in Psalm 13:2 (NLT)

“How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary puts it this way:

“I am at a loss and am without a friend that I can put any confidence in.
I have sorrow in my heart daily.”

David complained to God of His sorrow; we can do the same! God does not desire anything from us but our honesty, our heart-felt prayers whether we are angry, bitter, shaken in faith, and even lost. He wants to hear from us, regardless of where we are.

“The bread of sorrow is sometimes the saints daily bread” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Psalm 13).

Jesus declares in John 6:35:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will
never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty.”

Let us rejoice in the fact that God wants to hear from us!

David prays earnestly to God because He knows that he is in a place, physically and emotionally, that he cannot escape without God’s aide. He meditates on what God has done in the past.

Make a note of this wisdom. What God did yesterday, He still does today, and He will do tomorrow.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Dear Holy Spirit, bring to our remembrance all those things that you have taught us (John 14:26). Help us reflect on those moments in the past where you have come alongside and brought us to victory, for God’s glory and honor.

Our defense in any battle is Jesus Christ! We must pour out our soul before Him! There is power in the Name of Jesus, there is power in faith, and in prayer! As we spill our weaknesses to our Father in Heaven, we draw near to Him and He draws near to us (James 4:8). Trust in the mercy of God!

This is the truth!

“It is a common temptation when trouble lasts long, to think it will last always: despondency then turns into despair, and those that have long been without joy begin at last to be without hope” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Psalm 13).

Look at how David fights his trouble:

“Consider my case, hear my complaints and enlighten my eyes. Strengthen my faith. Lord enable me to look beyond the present troubles and to foresee a happy issue to them” (Matthew Henry Commentary, Psalm 13).

David asks God to “strengthen his faith” because “faith is the eye of the soul, with which it sees above, and sees through, the things of sense” (Matthew Henry Commentary, Psalm 13).

David says, “enlighten my eyes” and Matthew Henry’s Commentary interprets this request by stating that if David’s eyes were not enlightened quickly, he must perish.

“I shall sleep the sleep of death. I cannot live under the weight of all this care and grief.”

This would only gratify the pride of David’s enemy who is the same enemy who comes after us today. This gives our adversary cause to proclaim that he has prevailed and gotten the day because what he dished out was too hard for God’s children and too hard for God (Matthew Henry’s Commentary Psalm 13).

This gloating snake is maddening! There is nothing too hard for us when we turn in prayer to God. He fights our battles and He wins! How dare he even speak such words! We cannot let this bully think he has the upper hand over us and certainly not over God. We must not let him get away with our days!

Rejoice and praise God that we are His, we are fierce, and we will not succumb to evil ways!

We have to pray!

Always sing and pray in hope of what God will do. Be confident that He will lead the charge in all of our battles and He will conquer. Sing in remembrance of what He has already done. He has overcome the world. He has rescued, redeemed, and restored humanity by sending Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special
possession, that you may declare the
praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NLT).

Hallelujah!