Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Monday, January 23, 2017

QT 23 Jan 17, Judg 4:14-16, The obstacles are not the problem, obedience is the issue

Judges 4:14–16 (ESV) —
14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.

NOTE: So we find out that the problem was never chariots, just obedient men. The battles we face often seem impossible, like Israel facing Chariots with iron wheels on the plains. Deborah urges Barak off of the mountain into the plains, and … "the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots." Sometimes the problem is not the visible enemy or task at hand, but just getting up and being obedient to do the work God has called us to do. In this case, Barak would have failed by staying up on the mountain, but he seem to prefer that to potentially failing by engaging the enemy. He chose comfortable failure--"at least you are still alive." Barak was risk-adverse. But Barak was also obedient-adverse. If God has commanded us or called us to a task, we need to be strong and courageous and face the task before us. We cannot out wimp out on our role or responsibilities. What is my job? What am I supposed to do? What are the chariots with iron wheels that I face? What mountain am I hiding on?

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