Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
After our very small wedding in Jerusalem, my wife and I planned to have the big ceremony she’d always dreamed of, in Havre De Grace, Maryland. Rivka had it planned it to the tee. It was an outdoor wedding next to the longest standing lighthouse on the east coast. We were going to wow our guests with an entrance by way of sailboat. Ten dancers with candles in glasses were to proceed my beautiful bride as I awaited her under our hand-crafted chuppa, lit by the sunset on the bay.
Unfortunately, things didn’t flow quite the way we had planned. Nothing went right — and when I say nothing — I really mean nothing. We got started terribly late because some important wedding party guests were late, so the sunset entrance didn’t happen. It rained and rained and the cold wind blew. We had no indoor option. We did end up coming in on a sailboat, but we were both soaking wet! The electricity kept flickering on and off, along with the sound, during the ceremony because the generators we rented were not working well. The wrong song was played as I was coming down the isle. There were ducks quacking and meandering around in search for food in the tent beside us,and I tell you, that was only the beginning! The whole event seemed like it was written by the Marx brothers!
Despite the circumstances however, we laughed throughout the whole thing. We decided to trust that the Lord was in control, and just enjoy each other. Just before our pastor closed out the ceremony, he said something along these lines: “Marriage is not about sunny skies and perfect weather — what it’s really about is being joined together to weather the storms!” Surprisingly, many of our cold, wet guests shared with us that they were incredibly touched and blessed. Both believers and non-believers alike remarked that they could see the joy of the Lord in our lives.
The Lord has joined himself to us, not just through the sunny days, but through every storm of life. God never promised us perfect weather, but He does promise that He will walk beside us even in the most difficult of times.
Keep your mind set on Him and you will be at perfect peace through every storm!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]As we continue our study of the Mighty Men of David, another quality is worth pointing out — they were not procrastinators. Notice that these men decided to cross the Jordan river when it was at flood stage! They didn’t wait till the river receded, but rather, boldly crossed when it was the most dangerous!
As David grew in stature those who stood by him increased in number, devoting themselves to fight with him. Though it was a time of adversity for David, and a time of warfare, he found that there were many willing to join their lives to his; "...a brother is born for adversity"; and "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother". Again we note that David's anointing and his character made him a friend to many...and many became his loyal friends.
A program by National Geographic gives a powerful illustration for us. In the great annual wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park in Africa a giant herd, thousands of wildebeest, slowly move in groups across the plain. They are invariably followed by stalking lions. But the lions never attack the herd – they simply watch carefully for the stray wildebeest, either careless or seeking greener grass, who separates himself from the larger groups of animals. The isolated wildebeest will become the sudden prey of the lions who attack with lightening speed and ferocity.
50,000 soldiers from the tribe of Zebulun served in David’s army with UNDIVIDED (some translations: “not double-hearted”) hearts. Can you imagine a skilled army with this level of loyalty and devotion?
The mighty men that followed David were of one mind and heart to make him King. Their recognition of David’s anointing may have been the most significant quality of these Mighty Men. What was it in David that drew out this deep loyalty? I believe it was God’s Holy Spirit which David received when Samuel anointed him king.[1 Samuel 16:13].
In the 1970s when the Alaskan Pipeline was being constructed many Texans went to Alaska to work on the pipeline alongside the Eskimos, native Alaskans. However the Texans could only work a few hours in the frigid weather, while the Eskimos could easily work for hours on end.
The second great awakening took place around 1790 until the 1840s. This movement saw ‘circuit riders’, traveling preachers who spread the Gospel to the edges of the frontier, affecting the growing American populace. Camp meetings in rural areas outside the traditional church with the primary focus of soul winning, were like “brushfires” of the Holy Spirit, attracting people for miles.