But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice. He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me.
Psalm 55:16-18
“Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.
“Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind. He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground. Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last. I alone am he.”
The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war. The idol makers encourage one another, saying to each other, “Be strong!”
Isaiah 41:1-6
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1
Capture a city:
let us prove God there.
Give me a field,
though dry, unpromising and bare.
Sink me a well
to water all this land:
let me draw deep.
And feed me from your hand.
Show me a cave,
remind me of the past:
embrace my exile.
Tell me I’m loved at last.
Safe in the deepening darkness,
uncover a heart that sings.
Feet planted firmly in the ground,
release the nether springs!
Andy Raine, based loosely on Judges 1:12-15