Courageous women are called out women. “Go on the adventure with God. It’s never too late in your journey,” urged Julia Strachan in our Courageous Women YouTube interview. A single woman, without rowing experience, she accepted the call to bring awareness to the plight of human trafficking and ended up breaking the world speed record for rowing 3000 miles across slave route of the Atlantic
You don’t have to set out to break world records, but you do have to choose God as your partner if you are to break out of your anxiety zone and into Courageous. Deborah, the prophetess warrior of Israel, is introduced to us in a brief resume in Judges 4 and 5.
Wife, mother, and loner under the palm tree we read in Judges 4 and 5. Her experience was small, but her confidence in God was big. “The Lord came down for me against the mighty.” (Judges 5:13 NKJV) Wow, I love that. But I think my favorite (so hard to choose is in her song of praise: “The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength!” Her reference to the “ancient torrent” is for me a declaration of God’s provision from a time long ago. He, foreseeing the battle and the faith of Deborah, prepared the mighty surge of the violent flow of the Kishon river so that the battle would be won by the hand of God alone.
Deborah was exhilarated and inspired to go on to the next battle of life, believing God would already be there to help.
Do you feel like an enemy is just waiting to come against you today? Many of us feel like life is in a “holding pattern” because of a pending decision, an unresolved conflict, an unsettled world. In fact, in a prayer meeting yesterday of six women of different ages, occupations, and even geographic locations all presented the same prayer request, “Lord, show me the next steps for my life.”
Let us, like Deborah, rehearse the great works of God throughout history and in the miracle of our own salvation, and come away singing, “O my soul, march on in strength!”
Pray today: “Lord, like Peter, I believe; but oh, I need you to help me with my unbelief. Focus my mind and heart on your power and not mine. Renew my spirit from anxiety to joy. Help my soul to march on in strength.”
Always Expect Amazing,
Diane Strack, Founder and President of She Loves Out Loud Global