Daily Devotional For Saturday, February 1, 2025
After a full week for you, your Saturday is finally here. This week has not been a good week for aviation. We have seen tragedy in DC with an Army Blackhawk Helicopter colliding with an American Airline and yesterday, a medical plane carrying a pediatric patient crashed in Philadelphia. In both cases there is much speculation and blame already being hurled so I will not comment until the NTSB releases its findings.
Shock! We all have experienced this emotion. Most of us remember 911 and where we were and what we were doing from that shock and it shook us terribly. Maybe you had a medical report come back or a medical or health issue that shocked you. Or maybe the unexpected death of someone you loved. When it comes to us who are Christians and disciples of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 12:28 says this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (NIV).
We’ve all had something happen that shook us to our very core. We knew a positive outcome was beyond anything we could accomplish on our own, and we turned to the Lord in desperation. We were consumed with the need to bring the situation to the Lord and beg for His help. Our minds were filled with prayers and pleadings. We searched our Bibles for scriptures that offered hope. But what did we say when He intervened with the positive outcome that we had asked Him for? “It would have turned out okay in the end.” “That treatment worked after all.” “All my hard work finally paid off!” Let’s learn to acknowledge the supernatural intervention of God, and then be thankful for it. Let’s show Him our gratitude and our reverence with the same intensity with which we make our requests.
Christian author Brian Blout writes about our military’s use of what is called “Shock & Awe’:
“In 1996 two military strategists, Harlan Uliman and James Wade, started advocating a more focused approach to war. Uliman and Wade argued for engaging the enemy with an overwhelming show of force that will destroy "the adversary's will to resist before, during, and after battle." They titled their book Shock and Awe.
Shock and Awe, also known as Rapid Dominance, is defined as "a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight." The goal is to render your opponent impotent by using "superior technology, precision engagement, and information dominance."
Shortly before the first Iraq War, Uliman described what would happen with this Shock and Awe approach: "You're sitting in Baghdad and all of a sudden you're the general and 30 of your division headquarters have been wiped out. You also take the city down. By that I mean you get rid of their power, water. In 2,3,4,5 days they are physically, emotionally and psychologically exhausted."
In response to human sin and evil, God could have used Shock and Awe. He could have employed Rapid Dominance to crush us with his "overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force." Instead, the God of all authority and power, chose a radically different strategy: redemptive love, being delivered into the hands of sinners and then laying down his life at the cross. No wonder Paul had to acknowledge "the foolishness of the cross” (Source: Brian Blount, Invasion Of The Dead, pp. 90-91).
Aren’t we all glad as Blount writes that God chose the approach He did? Sometimes we can over react to shock and being shaken as did Richard Dennis:
“Richard Dennis was startled by the sound of banging at his backdoor, and probably quite afraid. But he had no idea that his fear would end up costing the life of an innocent family relative. Dennis’ son-in-law Christopher Bergan was on the other side of the door. As a prank, he’d flown from his native Norway to visit Dennis for his 62nd birthday, which was the following day. When Dennis came to the door, Bergan jumped out from the bushes to surprise him. Gun in hand, Dennis opened fire, shooting the man before he realized his identity.
According to Santa Rosa County sheriff Bob Johnson, the bullet hit Bergan “straight in the heart,” killing him instantly. In a news conference, Johnson acknowledged the shooting was an accident, and offered sympathy. Johnson said, “Anybody who's religious out there, you need to pray for this family because this is--I can't imagine what they're going through. I really can't. It's horrible.”
Dennis attempted to save Bergan’s life by calling 911 and compressing the wound with towels, but it was unsuccessful. Eventually, Dennis explained to authorities that earlier that same evening, he’d chased away a different family relative after an altercation at the same location. As a result of the coincidence, Dennis was not charged in the shooting. But Bergan, who’d previously lived in Florida, was considered a close friend” (Source: Brittany Shammas, “A man jumped from the bushes for a birthday surprise. His startled father-in-law fatally shot him.” Washington Post, 10-5-19).
When we act in fear and haste, we’re likely to experience heartache and ruin. Being afraid is often a reasonable response, but in our decision making, we cannot let fear drown out the voice of the Holy Spirit. This is why no matter what life throws at us or jumps out of the bushes at us, we should not over react, panic, and forget whose we are.
Questions To Consider
- What is something that came out of the blue with no warning and shocked and shook you to the core? How did you handle it? Would you handle it differently today? If so, how?
- We all probably believe that Richard Dennis would handle things differently knowing and experiencing what he did by over-reacting. When have you “fired your gun” and had to deal with the fallout later? How did you recover from it?
- When something “cold-cocks” us as Christ followers, why do you think some Christians or disciples of Christ fall apart? Take your Bible and read Romans 8:31-39. How does this help you and how can you apply this the next time life hits you unexpectedly?
- We serve an all-powerful King who rules over an unshakable Kingdom, and we should respond to Him with humility and gratitude. How can you personally do that today?
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, I humbly thank You for Your love, provision, promises, and abundant blessings of peace. I am so grateful for Your forgiveness through the cross, Your life and strength, Your wisdom, and Your authority to overcome every attack of the enemy. I am in awe of the victory that is mine through Jesus. Lord, help me to be unshaken and unmoved by whatever life or the devil throws at me. My victory is already secured through You. I love You Jesus. In His name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly