single complete

36
DAY 17
Contend
“Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight
against those who fight against me…Awake, and arise
to my defense! Contend for me , my God and Lord.”
PSALM 35:23
When you think of the word contend, what comes to mind? For me it
is the idea of a fight or a brawl – you vs. the opposition. When we look
at scripture, the same imagery exists, but the fighter is different. In our
culture and our world, we find ourselves wanting to or needing to defend
ourselves on a regular basis. That can be so exhausting. In God’s Word,
we are told to allow God to contend for us – to fight for us, to defend us.
Don’t get me wrong, there are times where we need to defend our faith.
In fact, scripture tells us that we should always be prepared to stand and
tell those who come against us, why we have the joy that comes from
Christ. But God also loves it when we let Him fight for us. We ask the
question, How do we do that? And the only answer is on our knees in
prayer. We have to allow Him the opportunity to contend for us.
I love history. I absolutely love church history and the impact of the
church in our country. On September 7, 1774, the Continental Congress
held their first official meeting in Philadelphia. There first action as a
group was prayer. And it wasn’t a prayer that was quick and easy, a few
words spoken, a few amens at the end, and then they were to go about the
work of establishing a nation. Oh no, this was an all-out prayer meeting.
Those who were close by said that they could hear the prayers and petitions
of these leaders being made. Many of them were on their knees