Daily Reading
Daily Thought
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had grown accustomed to winning. He was confident, if not cocky. Trash talk came easy. “Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand?” (2Chronicles 32:13).
“Do you think your God can do any better?” he taunted Judah.
“Yes,” said Hezekiah. He knew the army of Sennacherib was strong, stronger than Judah, nevertheless he rallied his people, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles” (2Chronicles 32:7-8). They have muscle; we have God.
Herb Brooks coached the U.S. Hockey team to gold at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. In route to gold, they defeated the best hockey team in the world, the Soviet Union. Before the game, Brooks rallied his team, “Think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone. When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front (USA) is a lot more important than the name on the back.”
The Lord said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever” (2Chronicles 33:4). The name on the front. “And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land” (2Chronicles 32:20-21).
Do you believe in miracles? Yes!
Daily Prayer
Lord in heaven, may I wear Your Name with confidence, knowing that there is none like You. You are God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. You are in charge and there is nothing that passes you by unaware. I trust You with my life, because all that I am is Yours. You gave me life in the first place.
I know that, for those who love You and follow You, all things will work together for good. No matter what I face, I remember You went to the cross, and out of that saved the world. So I will bear my cross, whatever it is, because I’m excited to discover whatever You will do with it. I believe in You.
Amen