“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, Who trains my hands for war,And my fingers for battle;… ” Psalm 144:1 NAS

I remember in the early days when we first moved to Thailand in 1999. Josiah was eight years old and ready to start 3rd grade.

At that time the three of us: Debbie, Josiah and myself were in full blown culture shock. Right about that third month mark it hit us hard. For anyone who has traveled and or who has lived outside of your resident country for an extended amount of time you probably know what that feels like. Everything is different. The weather, the food, the sights, the smells, the people and language – all very different than anything you have ever experienced before. We would often find ourselves looking for something that we were familiar with; something we knew to be ‘normal’. However, as time went on did our best to set up our home and to move on with our lives and ministry.

In those days I became Josiah’s Cub Scout leader at his school. At that time, he attended the Chiang Mai International School (CMIS). The school had a long history with the the Boy Scouts of America. The boys who attended learned a lot. Each one did their projects and earned their badges as they advanced through the program. Lots of good memories of being a part of their lives.

Here’s the catch.

As I read this portion of scripture the other day, I was reminded of the The Boy Scouts motto: Be Prepared! It’s not always be prepared (as some have said) but it’s Be Prepared!

This, too, can be applied in our Christian life and in our walk with the Lord. David in this Psalm is expressing who he is in God, and even more importantly – Who God is in his life! With God’s help (training and equipping v.1) he could face the enemies of his day and be granted victory (v.10). He knew that enemies could be defeated. And that God would rescue and save (v.7 & 11)

Even in the midst of his battles, he did not allow himself to lose sight of who it was that he was fighting for (v.12-14) namely: Sons flourishing, daughters fashioned, barns filled, flocks multiplied, oxen loaded down, and enemies defeated! It’s all in there.

And here is the promise declaration of victory in verse 14: “May there be no more enemies breaking through our walls, no captivity, no cries of alarm in our town square.” NLT

Are you Battle Ready?

~ Dan Ecker