You have Strength & God sends Warriors

David is back on the throne and the rebellions are over but something surprising happens in 2 Samuel 21: the warrior-king gets exhausted. That single line stopped me, because it tells the truth we often hide. Even faithful people get tired. Even strong people hit a moment where they cannot keep swinging the sword, and that is exactly where God can step in with provision that looks like a person. 

We walk through 2 Samuel 21 to 23 and trace a clear pattern: strength, weakness, and the community God builds around us. I talk through David’s rescue by Abishai and what it teaches us about asking for help without shame. Then we shift into 2 Samuel 22, where David praises God with a song that mirrors Psalm 18 and I share what it looks like to worship through a hard week filled with parenting stress, work change, and financial pressure. The goal is not to pretend life is easy, but to notice where God is still moving while life feels heavy. 

If you feel weak right now, I hope this devotional helps you see your support system as God’s kindness, and nudges you to praise Him anyway. 

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Transcript

Welcome And Devotional Setup

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Hello, hello. You're listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 106. This week's devotional is titled, You Have Strength and God Sends Warriors. Life of David. Let's go. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart. My journey in love for Jesus Christ, my Savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hawk Podcast. This is a weekly devotional I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, God worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith woven together with Scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted, and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within. You have strength and God sends warriors. Key passage for 2 Samuel 21 through 23, continuing our study of David. Hey everyone, I'm back. I took off last week. I'll be honest, I've had some had a tough week and a half. It's been rough. Um and so today I I really want to sit and just be really honest. And these next three chapters we're going to go through about David is really, it just fit into what I was going through. And I'm just so thankful again that scripture's, you know, speaking to you in your moment in in your life, and it's so relatable. And I just never thought like this, the life of David, the study of David was this relatable. So I'm just excited to share. So this week we're diving into chapters 21 through 23 in 2 Samuel, and I want to focus on something that really stood out to me. As we know, just to give quick context, David is back as king, the rebellion's over. He had another rebellion happen, that was over. There's still tension in the kingdom because David's gotta, you know, still reset everything. But he's back in control, and that's exactly what, you know, should have happened, what God wanted, of course. So anyway, so the theme this week, I kind of want to like kick off this way a little differently. And you'll see how as I go through these three chapters: strength, weakness, and the people God places in your life to carry you when you need it. So as we dive into chapter 21, I kind of want to like title this chapter as When Strength Turns to Weakness. Um, there's a moment in chapter 21 that honestly stepped stopped me in my tracks. Um, it says in 2 Samuel 21, 15, it says, Once again, there was a battle with the Philistines. Honestly, Israel's number one enemy, as we know. So once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and David went down with his men to fight, and he became exhausted. David, exhausted? This is the same David who killed Goliath, the warrior, the king, and yet here he is, tired and weak and weak and vulnerable, basically. And in that moment, a Philistine giant comes after him, ready to kill him. And Scripture says, But Abishai came to David's rescue. He struck the Philistine down and killed him. And 2 Samuel 21, 17. So David, who once saved others, now needing to be saved a bit. And after that, his men told him in verse 17, it says, You must not go out with us to battle anymore, or the lamp of Israel will be extinct will be extinguished. And I was thinking about this in my life. One of my strengths over the past few years has been creating a home, decorating, renovating, making spaces feel warm and welcoming, hospitality in that sense was, you know, naturally comes to me a bit. Um, if you stay at my house, you'll have everything you need: guest room, towels, toiletries, Wi-Fi food. I've got that down. When it comes to throwing a party, I get stressed. I start overthinking everything. Are people going to have a good time? Is this enough? Do I have a theme? I mean, I was stressed for my wedding, for example. So I've just never been that girl who loves having a ton of people in my space either. And I just freeze up a bit. And I remember my husband wanted to host a Super Bowl party at our house a couple of years ago. And we had about 10 plus people come. They had kids. It was just already overwhelming. Food covered, drinks covered, but decor and experience and just little things, I didn't know. I really didn't know what to do. So my mom showed up that day before the party started, and she brought chafing dishes, football themed decor, cookies with little footballs, activities for the kids, place settings, etc., to go boxes. She brought the whole vision. And just like that, everything came together. And I remember thinking, in my in an area where I'm weak, my mom is super strong. And that's exactly what we see with David. He was strong, but not in everything. Not in not in everything anymore. And not forever. And there be there came a moment where he needed someone else to step in. And God provided that. What a God we serve. So into chapter 22, I would entitle this chapter, Praising God Through It All. And as we move into this one, this chapter is essentially a replica of Psalms 18. And it's David doing something so powerful. He reflects and he praises God. He says in uh 2 Samuel 22, 223, it says, The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. And later he reached down from on high and took hold of me. He rescued me in 2 Samuel 22, 17. David lists out everything in this chapter. God brought him through, not to say, look what I did, but to say, God, you did this. And this really, you know, really touched me because I had a hard week and a half, as I mentioned. Um, and I said I didn't record last week, you know. So it was just my daughter was sick, um, stuff with her, stuff with work, some, you know, financial challenges, just stuff, you know. Um, so just to start off, my daughter was sick, like I said, had a cold, wiped her out, you know, as her being a premature baby, the immune system is still building. She gets sick, it wipes her out. I gotta take her out of school, I gotta keep her out, make sure she's good before I send her back. It just takes time, it just gets it takes time. So, but anyway, she was feeling better. And before school on last Wednesday, um, she had an evaluation for occupational therapy. They do evaluations like every six months just to see where they are, a plan of care, pediatrician has to approve it. We continue therapy. And so we just seeing her progress the last six months. I'm usually used to these evaluations, telling me, mom, she's below here, she's getting better here, we have to work here. Like it was, you know, so I was expecting that. Um, nothing tremendous or crazy overnight result, you know. And um, and you know, remember, she's got the delay in the speech, a little bit of delayed motor skills, you know, shut in the back of her head, attention span isn't there, you know, she's getting there, but it just takes time, and you know, she is too at the same time. So there's just so many things. So after the evaluation, they brought me in and they told me she failed it completely. And the way it was said was like, we don't know what else to do. And that just hurt. And at the same time, my job went through a restructure recently. My team was changed, people lost their jobs, and I'm kind of on my own right now in an area that I'm trying to figure things out. So there was just even a moment where I thought, am I gonna lose my job? And then other stuff, stress, finances, it's just budget, everything. It was just a lot. It's still a lot. Um, and I remember sitting in my living room and I just cried. I just cried. But God, in the middle of all that, I now that I sit here sharing this with you, I had to sit back and really reflect. Because through all those challenges, God was still there. Holy Spirit was still there, he was still moving. The same day my daughter failed her evaluation, she got approved for behavioral therapy, something we had been waiting for. At work, I lost my team. I, you know, but I was given a new opportunity for an exciting new project with the vice president. And it's exciting. I just have to see where it goes. And then also, you know, I have my day job, my tech job, but then I also do on the side, I do home tours. I love traveling the country and visiting homes and things like that. It just and looking at design and appreciating it. It's my thing. And I had an opportunity recently within Miami to visit a designer's home and their project, and it was just so nice. And the lady was so lovely and she wants to keep partnering, and that just was such an uplifting thing that God blessed me with last week. So just look at all those things within all those trials and everything. God was still there. He was still, you know, he was still working. And you know what, through all that, I praise God for that. I praise him still, just like David did for everything that happened in his life. I praise God for all the things that are happening in my mind, the good stuff, the bad stuff that's gonna help me grow as a, you know, as a child of God. I'm so thankful for that. So then we go into chapter 23. Don't worry, all this will tie in soon. I call this chapter Legacy of and your and your warriors. And it starts with David's last words as king, really, um, to like a big group of people. He says, The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, his word was on my tongue, and 2 Samuel 23, 2. Then David reflects on leadership, righteousness, legacy. But what really stood out to me this time was the second half of the chapter, because it lists all his mighty warriors, all the ones that went to battle with them through the years. Every name, every story, every act of loyalty. One of the most powerful moments was three of his warriors risking their lives to get him watered. And when they brought it to him, David says, It is not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives, 2 Samuel 23, 17. And he poured out, he poured it out before the Lord. It just shows that he was so thankful. You're putting me before your lives? No, you're putting God before your lives. Um, and I realized in all this, David was never alone. Yes, he was chosen, yes, he was strong, yes, he had tough times, but God surrounded him with warriors, supporters, and that just comes to my own life, your own life, your warriors, your support base. And I started thinking about my life, like really, my mom and my dad supporting me through everything. I've been through so many things up and down, and the most consistent people ever in my life were are my parents. And I would also say, um, my um, my grandparents, and I only get emotional because you know, my grandmother is physically not here anymore, but she's spiritually here. My grandparents, they were in everything. They came to everything, they supported me through everything, and I'm so thankful my grandfather's still here. At 91, he's still here and he's so present. And I just thank you for that supporting cast, those warriors that have been with me in every battle and every struggle. My wonderful friends, my amazing husband, my aunts, my uncles. I'm just really thankful for my cousins and my family. And um my husband, you know, for example, with the evaluation with Sage, he keeps reminding me that she's gonna improve, honey. We just keep going. I remember my nanny when I told her about the evaluation and how she failed. Um, the nanny that I have is so amazing. She looked at me and she said, Okay, she failed. What's next? And I said, Well, nothing. She just keeps going to occupational therapy. I mean, she's only two. And my my nanny looked at me and said, Okay, she's gonna get better, mom. That's all right. She was sick. She probably didn't perform well. Who performs well after they've been sick? And my nanny just took her, put her in the stroller and walk and took her out for her walk. Like it just didn't even phase my nanny. And I thought to myself, what faith she has, and like what a support that I just gained and having somebody like that who cares about my daughter. I think about my co-workers and all the changes going on and how they're checking on me. You know, my co-worker out in Amsterdam sent me a note yesterday saying, Hey, Jess, I heard about the change for you. How you do it? Are you okay? Like, who does that? You know, I'm so thankful for the coworkers that I have all over the world. Because it's like we really do care about each other. And I just realized I have warriors too. I have support, just like David did. You all, you know what? As children of God, we have support. God is providing us support. We have to see it, we have to acknowledge it, we have to pray for it, we have to praise him for it. And there's just so many things that can come out of companionship. God wants us to have community. I'm just so thankful for that. So when you look at these three chapters together, chapter 21 is, you know, you won't always be strong, you will have weaknesses, and you're gonna have to rely on someone else. And chapter 22, it's about praise God anyway. Despite the challenges and everything's going on, God will be there and praise Him through those hardships because the blessings are just gonna be abundant. And the last part of chapter 23, you know, honor your people, be thankful for the warriors and the supporters that you have and and credit them to, you know, credit them through God. Thank God for them. And when you have that support and that community, that's such a blessing. And I also wanted to just really mention show you quickly mention my Bible study group of girls, they're just absolutely outstanding. And if I message and I say I need prayer, I get 10 messages back and people checking on you. What a great community of women that I have now. And I just want to honor them too, and I appreciate their support as well. So I want to ask you this where are you weak right now? Are you willing to let someone help you? Are you willing to praise God even in the hard moments? Are you acknowledging the warriors in your life? Because God doesn't just work through you, He works through the people He places around you. And I just think through the study of David, he's been through so much, and we focus on him as an individual a lot. But we need to really focus in on the supporting caste, all those mighty heroes, you know, all those friends, all those loyal people that fled, you know, Israel with him when Absalom tried to rebel. There was like 600 people that went with him. He was never by himself. When he hid in the caves from Saul, he had about 400 men with him. David was never just alone. And it just shows that God really believes in community. He believes in us leaning on each other for support when the other is weak. He believes, you know, God wants us to keep, you know, praising him and praying to him so he can provide and he wants you to remember the people that are there to support you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for showing us through David's life that even in weakness, you're still working. Thank you for the people you place in our lives, our warriors who carry us, support us, and strengthen us. Help us to trust you in every season. Help us to praise you even in the hardship, and help us to build a legacy that honors you. Father, we love you and we praise you. We thank you so much for everybody who has listened to this podcast, Lord. We praise you, God, in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you so much for listening, guys. And we know we're entering the weekend of Mother's Day, so as we know, moms are some of the most amazing forces there is on this earth, and we know God purposely made mothers, made women to mother and to be, you know, amazing human beings to their children. And we're just so thankful for them. Till next time, we'll be wrapping up David, probably in the next week or so. Stay tuned. Well, that wraps up this week's episode. I hope these devotions help you draw closer to God each day. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who might need the same message. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode. Also, if you feek if you feel compelled, leaving a nice review would be so appreciated as well. For more information or to reach out, check the show notes or visit jessymorganhome.com or find me on Instagram at Jessimorganlife. Remember, God's timing is always perfect. Keep trusting him. Until next time, this is Jessie Morgan praying off.