8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:
Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. 2 Samuel 23
Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. 2 Samuel 23
BE BOLD, DON’T LIMIT GOD, EVEN IF YOU STAND ALONE!
One of the interesting things about David’s Mighty Men is that their greatest victories often came when they Stood Alone. They continued to Stand when others left the battlefield. Hallelujah
11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah TOOK HIS STAND in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and THE LORD BROUGHT ABOUT A GREAT VICTORY. 2 Samuel 23
God can do His greatest miracles when the odds are stacked against us! Sometimes when we take our STAND in the face of tremendous obstacles, God comes through with mighty victories.
A modern day account of such a victory. I believe that I have written before about an SAS soldier who single-handedly brought about the rescue of more than seven hundred people during a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya. I listened to a further account of the day of this event when Christian Craighead was interviewed by Shawn Ryan on YouTube.
Christian said that he was driving a car and against all reason he was impressed to stop and pick up a stranger at the roadside. The man got into his car and then pulled out a large knife with two points, which the SAS soldier had never seen before. Christian didn’t feel threatened but told the passenger that he hoped he wasn’t going to try and kill him with the knife. But he replied that it was only for protection and that sometimes there were demons on this road. He asked to be let off outside the next village, but before he left the car he said in a forceful voice, “May God bless you many times this day Christian”. After he left the car he disappeared.
In the interview Christian said he’d done nearly a thousand door kicks (forced entries) during his career, but he’d never felt like he did that day of the rescue. He said he could see further, hear more, had faster reflexes and was stronger than he’d ever felt before. The siege lasted for nineteen hours. I believe God sent someone from heaven to prepare him for all that lay ahead, ‘to bless him life many times that day’! None of us know what lies before us, unless God reveals it, but God prepares and trains us for the battles that each of us will face. We are never alone in our battles.
Ten months later Christian met President Donald Trump in the Whitehouse, who thanked him for saving American lives in Nairobi on the 15th January 2019. President Trump was the only one to personally acknowledge what this brave soldier had done and it all took place without publicity.
There’s an old saying which we need to hear again in these days, ‘One plus God is a majority’, Amen Lord.
God bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.