Family

Warriors Arise: December 18, 2020

1 Samuel 30:23-25 (NKJV) But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

Notice how David begins with my brethren. Scripture tells us of a handful times when Jesus was going to begin teaching His disciples He began by calling them children. Jesus was not being insulting to them, He was setting the tone of the teaching. He was teaching them as a father would a child. If the disciples were offended by it they probably wouldn't have written it in the Gospels. They understood, at least by the time they were writing of the events Jesus loved them, as His own. David speaks to his men, the men who just fought beside him to overtake the Amalekites, with a term of endearment. Before these men came to David they were wandering, excluded, rejected. They were not welcomed. They didn't have a place of their own or people who accepted them.

My brethren is used as a term to bring both groups of men to understanding they were all together. There was no "us" against "them", there was only family, brethren. Family does not cast out its own. Family fights, protects, and provides for their own. Family doesn't send send people away. Family embraces each one, encourages them through the challenges, prepares them for the future. David, the 400, and the 200 were family. They were brethren. They would not turn and attack the very ones they would have fought along side the others if they had been well enough to continue the pursuit.

David was teaching these men how real family responds to each other. Family is not the enemy, family is the hope of our future. Family is not made by the imperfections but through the imperfections. Working through the challenges is what makes family stronger. We are family. We fight to protect those who can't protect themsleves. We encourage, edify, and build each other up. We train, disciple, and love so we grow to equip, be responsible and godly. We are God's family.

Father, I ask for You to come and minister to each one of us. Some have to redefine family. I ask for You to show each one of us what family is to look like. I know I have an idea but I am not sure it lines up with Yours. I want to know how You define family. I want to understand responsibilities. I pray You would show each one of us how we are to respond to each other, how we can encourage when we have been blown a disappointment. I pray You would show us how we are to protect our family without being restrictive or creating a prison. I pray Yo would teach us to be godly in our response and actions toward family. You are faithful to love each one us us. I ask for each one of us to offer love to each other. I pray we would embrace terms of endearment when speaking to our family. I ask for our hearts to be open and willing to express love. I pray we would be life givers with our words. I pray we would embrace family the way You see it in Jesus' name amen.

A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,

Veridee Joy Hand

My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.