*To hear this inspiration on Dianna Hobbs’ podcast—an audio companion to the written devotion—click here to listen.

Recently one of my children came to me with a problem. Though I didn’t quite know what to say or how to instruct them, there is one thing I did (and do) know how to do – pray.

So, we clasped hands, bowed our heads and closed our eyes while standing in the middle of my bedroom floor. Since I know that Luke 12:12 says the Holy Spirit will teach us what to say, I prayed with that in mind. After finishing the prayer, the two of us started our conversation. By the time our talk was over, God had perfectly worded my mouth and given me biblical solutions to share.

Man, I love when God does that!

As one who is called to teach the gospel around the world, as you might imagine, I am constantly praying about what to impart. However, prayers for God to fill my mouth with His wisdom are not reserved for speaking engagements. I don’t wait until the moments just before I step onto a platform and talk into a microphone to ask for help. Whether I am in front of an audience of hundreds, thousands, or one person that happens to be my child, I ask God to speak to me and through me.

As a mother of four children ages 15, 19 (almost 20), 17 (almost 18), and 22, I need the Lord’s wisdom every day of my life, because I am responsible for molding and shaping them and raising them to serve God. Just like any other parent, they need me to listen to their issues and concerns, weigh in on certain matters, provide insights, and of course offer words of encouragement and comfort in their times of need.

INVITING GOD IN

Since suffering a brain injury, I have honestly forgotten a lot of things I once knew. I wish I had access to every lesson, experience, and talk that was once safely stored in my mental files. But, since I don’t and can’t change that right now – though I believe God is able – I instead focus on the privilege of being able to lean on God for answers.

Whether you have brain trauma or not, Scripture says, don’t lean on your own understanding. Rather, lean on God, acknowledge Him in all things, and trust Him to guide you (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When we invite God into every situation, we make space for Him to do what He does so well which is show up, lead us, and provide biblical solutions we could not have come up with on our own. Each day we live, it is beyond necessary to consciously ask God to share His wisdom with us and speak through us in everyday situations and conversations.

I think intentionality in this area of inviting God in is crucial, because many of us are spoiled thanks to the wealth of resources available to us. With internet access and smart phones, knowledge is at our fingertips. In just a few clicks, we can find the latest books, scholarly articles, and video tutorials. To be clear, I’m certainly not knocking that. I have personally found many online resources useful. This very teaching is posted online, right?

My point is that prayer must be our first line of defense when facing life’s questions, trials, and obstacles. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT plainly says, “Never stop praying.” The King James Version says, “Pray without ceasing.” If prayer isn’t our first line of defense, we will miss that essential Godly perspective that enables us to live life abundantly.

TRUSTING GOD FOR ANSWERS

As I thought about the recent conversation I just mentioned having with one of my children, God led me to Joshua 4, where we see the Israelites crossing over the Jordan River. At the time, they were being led by Moses’ protégé and successor, Joshua, who had been raised in Egyptian slavery and mentored by Moses to lead the Hebrew nation after Moses transitioned.

Though Moses surely shared many good lessons with Joshua, there was some divine advice God gave Joshua that Moses did not teach him. After the miraculous Jordan River crossing, for example, according to verses 19-24, God told Joshua to set up a stone memorial using 12 stones to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. The purpose of this was to commemorate how God worked a miracle that allowed the Israelites to cross the Jordan River on dry land—like He did for them at the Red Sea crossing in Exodus 14.

God told Joshua that these stones would serve as a sign to future generations. The Lord explained to Joshua, when your children ask you, “What do these stones mean?” you can tell them all about the miracle on the Jordan River!

As we see from this passage, God didn’t work a miracle for Israel solely for the benefit of the ones that experienced it firsthand. No – God did it with future generations in mind. And the Lord wants somebody to know today that the miracles He is about to perform for you, the cycles He’s about to break for you, the ways He’s about to make for you, and the doors He’s about to open for you won’t just bless you, but generations coming behind you will benefit.

There are generational blessings that God has in store for you! That’s a reason to praise right there.

JEHOVAH SAVES AND DELIVERS

In in our Bible story today, I love how Joshua explained the purpose of this stone memorial to all of Israel. He said in verse 24 that God did this, “so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

This divine strategy that Joshua obediently carried out and implemented, unlike any novel idea he could have cooked up on his own, was put in place for a specific reason – to reveal who God is and what He is able to do. God did not want future generations to forget His wonder-working power or stray from their commitment to serving Him. He used Joshua to make sure they remembered.

Joshua’s name in Hebrew means “Jehovah saves,” or “The Lord is salvation.” And his name, fascinatingly, corresponds to the New Testament name “Yeshua” or Jesus.

Joshua’s job was to exemplify and amplify the truth that salvation is not found in any other than Jehovah. And Jesus, my friend, is Jehovah. Bless His great and mighty name!

Psalm 20:7 NIV declares, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”

The name of the Lord is mighty – mightier than our fiercest battles. Mightier than our greatest struggles. Mightier than our most aggressive diseases. Mightier than our most turbulent storms. Mightier than our strongest opposition. Mightier than the reports of specialists who give up hope. Mightier than the predictions and forecasts of experts and intellectuals.

His name is mighty to save. Mighty to heal. Mighty to deliver. Mighty to loose shackles. Mighty to tear down strongholds.

I’m reminded of what the seasoned saints I grew up admiring in the church used to sing: “What a mighty God we serve/Angels bow before Him/Heaven and earth adore Him/What a mighty God we serve.” Hear me – don’t you let your situation make you forget how mighty your God is!

WHAT MIGHTY STORM HAS COME AGAINST YOU?

Daily Cup family, when I was in the hospital in 2019 and decided to get out of my bed and walk despite being paralyzed on my left side, I had to sneak to do it. Doctors and specialists did not approve such risky behavior. Their expertise told them that it was totally impossible for someone with my level of paralysis, brain injury, and weakness to do such a thing.

But I knew then just as I know now that my God is mightier and stronger than my human weakness. By faith, with some help at first, I got up. But, by the time God got through with me, I was walking on my own aided only by the power of Jehovah, our great and mighty savior.

I wonder – what mighty storm, struggle, or situation has come against you? I know things can look intimidating sometimes, but ask yourself, is it mightier than my God? If you can’t answer yes to that question, then why are you worrying? Why are you stressing out? Why are you magnifying your circumstances above your God?

Shake yourself and declare by faith: Great Jehovah will deliver. Great Jehovah will work it out. Great Jehovah will do the impossible. Great Jehovah will work a miracle for me. All He requires is that you believe. Believe that He will do it for you!

In this moment, God is calling you to fight against worry, stress, anxiousness, and fear. Know that He has allowed this test so He can get the glory.

I love the way Psalm 83:18 KJV words it – which is what I’m stirring into your cup of inspiration today. It says, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, remember who you serve and who is working for you. Jehovah is His name. And surely, He will deliver.

Now, let’s pray.

God, I don’t always feel victorious, capable, or even equipped to fight and win against all the negative things that are thrown my way. Yet, during this test, I believe Your word, and I am confident that You, Great Jehovah, will deliver me out of every affliction, every trial, and every situation that arises to stop me from receiving what You have promised me. By faith, I thank You for my deliverance! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dianna Hobbs is founder of EEW Magazine Online and CEO of Empowering Everyday Women Ministries — a 501c3 nonprofit organization that shares the gospel and provides humanitarian aid to the hurting. She is also the writer of Your Daily Cup of Inspiration and executive producer of the companion podcast. Follow Dianna on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube. Sign up for her free ministry newsletter here.