Exodus 17:13So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
I coordinate a daily devo reflection for my church, and our theme for next week is “When we mess up, just begin again.” I’m not usually one to do that. I typically beat myself up with the “coulda, woulda, shoulda”s, armchair quarterbacking until I just feel like giving up. I expect I’m not alone in this tendency.
Exodus 17:14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
But here’s the thing. We are all human. We all mess up. Even the folks in today’s victory tale: Joshua, Moses, Aaron. They are riding high here, but they have or will mess up (or mess up again) in the course of the Bible. Armchair quarterbacking to the point of giving up isn’t useful–to us or to God.
Exodus 17:15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.
Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that beating ourselves up for our shortcomings and failures will never help us to glorify You. When we mess up, as we inevitably will, help us to learn the lesson, dust ourselves off, and begin again in You. Help us, Jesus. Amen.
Exodus 17:16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Have a blessed day.