PEORIA, Ill. -- Recently I was reading some Israeli history from the Bible (1 Samuel) where Israel prayed (actually demanded) to have a king like the other nations. Even though they were warned what a bad idea this was, they insisted, “No! We want a king so that we will be like all the nations, and so our king may rule over us and fight our battles,” (1 Sam 8:19-20).
God placed Saul as king over them, and his kingship resulted in varying levels of progress and pain. Years earlier when fleeing Egypt and crossing the Red Sea, the Lord led Moses to say to the Israelites... “For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent,” (Exodus 14:13-14).
Instead of King Saul, God wanted to be their King. But they preferred a mere mortal.
Sometimes it may seem like it makes more sense to get help from people we can see with our natural eyes, hear with our natural ears, and be present with in flesh and blood. Yet, you yourself may have a story of your own about how real God has been in your life, in that hopeless situation, when a mere mortal could not help you.
Whatever it is that you are battling today, remember the LORD almighty is on your side and will fight your battles. You can put your hope fully in God. The battle may continue longer than you’d like, but God will never leave you. You are not alone.