A strategy for overcoming challenges in life
Be Strong for Our People
===
Be courageous, and let’s be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May [the LORD] do that which seems good to him.”
1 Chronicles 19:13 (WEB)
===
Context:
The commander of Israel’s army has a two-front battle ahead of him. So he makes a plan and then entrusts it to the Lord.
Which is exactly what we should do for all of life.
It’s a blending of total reliance on God yet doing everything we can.
Hudson Taylor, former missionary to China in the late 1800’s, put it this way:
Pray as if everything relies on God; work as if everything relies on you.
I see that thinking in this verse too.
They know they’re in for a rough fight. But they’ve prepared the troops, they’ve made their battle plans. They’ve done the best they can with what they have.
Now it was time to execute the plan and see what God does.
He was bold and encouraging despite the difficult challenge ahead.
Great leaders do that.
They lift up their followers and encourage them through the tough times.
But they do all of this with wisdom, not just relying on blind hope to make it through.
After all, hope is not a strategy.
So, the next time you face a difficult challenge, be courageous, make a plan, and trust in the Lord.
That’s about as good a strategy as you can wish for.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.