A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

1 Samuel 14:6, “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, ‘Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.’”  Two shoe salesmen from the same company had been assigned to a remote Pacific island to expand their company’s business to untapped markets.  Upon arrival, the first one observed how that none of the natives wore shoes.  He remarked, “Why did they send me here?  There’s no market for shoes on this island!”  The second one looked around and observed that none of the natives wore shoes, as well.  He delightfully exclaimed, “Wow!  Everybody on this island needs shoes—and the whole market is mine!”  Both salesmen saw the same thing.  One saw obstacles but the other saw opportunities.  Perspective was the key.  Our text today relates a story from the Old Testament where Jonathan, Saul’s son, and his armor bearer, come upon a garrison of Philistines.  At that time, the Philistines were Israel’s primary foe.  To some, the encounter would have been perceived as a “suicide mission”—since the two Israelites were outnumbered against a host of their enemy.  Yet Jonathan’s perspective was, the greater the number of Philistines, the greater the opportunity for God to be glorified in victory.  It is akin to David facing Goliath the giant.  King Saul’s troops cowered in fear thinking Goliath was too big to fight.  David, however, stood before him in confidence knowing that he was too big to miss.  So, what are you facing today?  No matter the difficulties that you may encounter you can either view them as obstacles or opportunities.  Our perspective determines our attitude.  Instead of viewing problems as barriers to success, view them as privileges by which you can see God do extraordinary things for His glory and for your triumph with this new day.