How to Be Mighty for God - Pt 2

During Operation Desert Storm, the Iraqi war machine was overwhelmed by the Coalition Forces' ability to strike strategic targets with never-seen-before accuracy. Unknown to the Iraqis, the Allied Supreme Command had dropped Special Operations Forces (SOF) deep behind enemy lines. These men provided bombing coordinates for military targets and first-hand reports on the effectiveness of subsequent bombing missions.

To avoid unintended targets, pinpoint bombing was often required. A soldier from a SOF unit standing on the ground would request an aircraft high overhead to drop a laser-guided missile. Using a hand-held laser, the soldier would point at the target. The missile would hone in on the soldier's target for the hit.

In much the same way, the prayers of Christians focus the attention of the spiritual powers on high.

II. DAVID’S MIGHTY MEN WERE ARMED (equipped) MEN (2, 23)

Verse 2 of our chapter tells us that the ones who came to David were "equipped" with weapons. The Hebrew word is “chalats.” Which means to be "prepared" for battle.

One of our main roles is found in Eph 4:11 …to equip God’s people for works of service…

Luck has been defined as “…the place where preparation and opportunity meet…”

How are we to be prepared:

• Word of God - 2 Tim 3:16
• Prayer - 1 Tim 2:1
• Armor of God - Eph 6:10ff
• Faith - 1 Jn 5:4
• Silver or gold have I none but what I have I give to you…

Aqaba in 1917 seemed impregnable. Any enemy vessel approaching the port would have to face the battery of huge naval guns above the town. Behind Aqaba in every direction lay barren, waterless, inhospitable desert. To the east lay the deadly "anvil of the sun." The Turks believed Aqaba to be safe from any attack. But they were wrong.

Lawrence of Arabia led a force of irregular Arab cavalry across the "anvil of the sun." Together, they rallied support among the local people. On July 6, 1917, the Arab forces swept into Aqaba from the north, from the blind side. A climactic moment of the magnificent film Lawrence of Arabia is the long, panning shot of the Arabs on their camels and horses, with Lawrence at their head, galloping past the gigantic naval guns that are completely powerless to stop them. The guns were facing in the wrong direction. Aqaba fell, and the Turkish hold on Palestine was broken, to be replaced by the British mandate and eventually by the State of Israel.
The Turks failed to defend Aqaba because they made two mistakes. They did not know their enemy, and they did not have the right weapons.

We must be careful not to make the same mistakes. (Ephesians 6:12) makes it very clear who our enemy is: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world."

Tomorrow we will look at Pt 3 "Knowing Your Enemy"