Psalm 6:9; I Samuel 17:47 - "Battle Belongs"

Usually God wakes me with a Scripture to read that is whole chapter. This morning He gave me Psalm 6:9. One short verse that is full of truth. I thought this verse is so appropriate with our prayer emphasis right now. David begins the Psalm in lament then his words change to ones of confidence that the Lord hears him. I need to get better at having more confidence in my prayers. I know God hears all my prayers. I also know He answers all of them in His time and in His will. The more I strive to live in His will the more my prayers will be realized in His will. The desire of my heart is to please Him. I know this will be accomplished when I live in obedience to His will. David prayed and then waited on his sorrow to change to joy. I am praying for so many people to see their difficult days become joyful. I learned long ago I cannot make anyone change. Only God can do that. But I can pray for them to realize God in a deeper way. I can pray for them to allow God to be first in their life. I also can pray for them to allow Him to reveal Himself to them. Doing so is hard at first but the more we practice it the easier it becomes. He desires to be real in our lives. All we have to do is allow Him. Psalm 6 reads about David pleas for God to save him from his enemies. That does not necessarily mean people. We can be our greatest enemies by the way we see ourselves or how hard we are on ourselves. Our enemies can include evilness that comes into our life. It can be an illness that takes our focus off of Him. Many, many things can be an enemy in life but we must remember God is greater than any enemy before us. We also must remember God allows enemies in our life to stretch our faith. I am reminded this morning of a song called "Battle Belongs" that Phil Wickham sings.

So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I'll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You

No battle in life is ours. They all belong to the Lord. We do not have to fight any battle on our own but instead need to allow Him to have what is rightly His. Sometimes it is hard to surrender a battle to Him but when we realize it really is not ours to begin with the act becomes much easier.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You again for my time with my friends Marlene and Sharon! Thank You for our friendship that has encouraged me for so many years! Thank You for Psalm 6:9 that reminds me You hear ever prayer I utter or even think! Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You ooze out of me in a mighty way. I pray Your peace over many going through battles. I pray they will realize I Samuel 17:47 today. My Momma; Ben; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her Momma Shirley; Serena and her husband; Beth and her family; some young ladies with anxiety; a man in rehab for anger issues; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; a husband/father separated from his wife; Mary Lilley; Preacher Bill Watts; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Timmy; Amber; families in turmoil; Ms Savon's friend; Owen and his family; Cyndi; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments... Doug and Gay; Patty's daughter Tracy; Sharon's daughter Ashley; Chrissy's cousins; Shirley Jones; Debbie's husband Kelly; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Betty's husband; my friend with mesothelioma; Judy Link; Little Ivy; my friend with upcoming radiation; and Dorothy's grandson. I pray for: Jonathan whose mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the Long Family, Vickie's son Jim, Russ, and Kathy and her family. Thank You for continued improvement with Pastor Sam and for Baby Henry! Lord, there are so many people who thrive on having drama in their lives. I pray for them to realize that is not of You. Thank You for being My Battle Taker! Amen.