An Arm of Flesh – Stepping in the Light

“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” II Chronicles 32:7-8

Sennacherib and his vast army had invaded the land and surrounded the city of Jerusalem. He wrote letters and sent messengers to King Hezekiah threatening the people and ridiculing them for trusting in God. Hezekiah knew that his army was no match for the host of soldiers with which Sennacherib had besieged the city and that the only hope they had was direct intervention from God. Hezekiah encouraged the people to trust in the Lord. He told the people of Jerusalem that they had the advantage in the battle because there were more on their side than on Sennacherib’s side. Sennacherib was trusting in his huge army, but Hezekiah was trusting in God. Sennacherib had an arm of flesh, but Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem had the arm of God. Hezekiah told the people that the Lord would fight their battles for them. He did not know how God was going to deliver them, but he fully believed that He would. In answer to Hezekiah’s prayer of faith, the Lord killed the entire army of Sennacherib in one night. Our battles are not like what Hezekiah faced, but we all have struggles that we face each day. Are you trusting in the arm of flesh or the arm of God to see you through?

Morning: II Chronicles 32-33

Evening: John 18:19-40

About This Site

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

If you were to find yourself walking down a path in the dark of night with only an old-fashioned lantern to light the way, you wouldn’t be able to see very far ahead. You would be able to see just enough of the pathway to know which direction to take your next step and enough of the ground to choose the best place for your feet. When it comes to our daily lives, God’s Word is a lot like that lantern. It will not show us the whole path at once, but it is exactly what we need to help us decide how to take the next step.

The Bible is our source of spiritual light, and if we consistently seek God’s direction as we read from its pages, we will always have enough light for our next step along the pathway of life. It is then that we are, in the words of an old gospel song, “stepping in the light.”

The goal of this devotional guide is to encourage you to spend time in the Word of God each day. Reading the passages listed at the bottom of the page will take you all the way through the Bible in one year. The devotional thought for each day is taken from a text within that day’s reading, so even that small daily portion of reading will take you on a journey through God’s Word. It is my prayer that this guide would help you to walk closer to the Lord and that you will find yourself taking each step in the light of His Word.