June 24 devotional - Bannockburn Day

Psalm 60:12    With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.

Today is Bannockburn Day in Scotland. On the 24^th June 1314, the Scots defeated the invading English army at a place called Bannockburn and firmly established their independence. Robert the Bruce was the King of Scots and his fearless leadership won the battle for the outnumbered Scots. Bruce was the military leader who followed in the footsteps of William Wallace (Braveheart).

For ten years after the execution of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce labored hard at getting the Scots ready to win their independence. Just like George Washington centuries later, Bruce lost minor skirmishes but when it came to the one crucial battle of the War for Scottish Independence, he outwitted the English forces at Bannockburn and won the day. Ever since then, the Scots have celebrated the battle and their independence.

On the deciding day of the two-day battle, the outnumbered Scots advanced on the English but before they commenced fighting, the whole army knelt in prayer. Edward II, the English king, was reported to have been surprised by this and mockingly said, "They pray for mercy!"

"For mercy, yes," one of his attendants replied, "But from God, not you. These men will conquer or die."

It seems strange to ask God for providence and mercy on the battlefield, and yet when men are faced with the prospect of death in war, prayer is what they often resort to. In Western history, the winning of battles actually helped to expand Christianity. A victory was often interpreted as God’s favor through Christ, no matter how bloodthirsty or gory the battle might have been.

These days, we pray for the safety of our troops and still ask for God’s blessing and guidance in the midst of our wars. We look for justice and peace more than overwhelming victory and the complete annihilation of our enemies. We want Christ’s peace to be truly promoted, as opposed to that militaristic religious righteousness which only festers future divisions and engenders wasteful wars.

Prayer:                        Lord God, we thank You for the liberty and independence that we experience in our lives today. Sadly, we recognize that much of our freedoms were given to us through the battles that our people fought in the past and by the lives that were laid down in defense of our nation. Help us not to take our liberties for granted and remind us to pray for wisdom for our leaders and safety for our troops. In Christ’s Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on John’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is of a statue of Robert the Bruce on the field of Bannockburn. You can read more about the battle at the following link: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Bannockburn

Daily Devotions: Bannockburn Day - Psalm 60

Psalm 60:12    With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.

Today is Bannockburn Day in Scotland. On the 24^th June, 1314, the Scots defeated the invading English army at a place called Bannockburn and firmly established their independence. Robert the Bruce was the King of Scots and his fearless leadership won the battle for the outnumbered Scots. Bruce was the military leader who followed in the footsteps of William Wallace (Braveheart).

For ten years after the execution of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce labored hard at getting the Scots ready to win their independence. Just like George Washington centuries later, Bruce lost minor skirmishes but when it came to the one crucial battle of the War for Scottish Independence, he outwitted the English forces at Bannockburn and won the day. Ever since then, the Scots have celebrated the battle and their independence.

On the deciding day of the two day battle, the outnumbered Scots advanced on the English but before they commenced fighting, the whole army knelt in prayer. Edward II, the English king, was reported to have been surprised by this and mockingly said, "They pray for mercy!"

"For mercy, yes," one of his attendants replied, "But from God, not you. These men will conquer or die."

It seems strange to ask God for providence and mercy on the battlefield, and yet when men are faced with the prospect of death in war, prayer is what they often resort to. In Western history, the winning of battles actually helped to expand Christianity. A victory was often interpreted as God’s favor through Christ, no matter how bloodthirsty or gory the battle might have been.

These days, we pray for the safety of our troops and still ask for God’s blessing and guidance in the midst of our wars. We look for justice and peace more than overwhelming victory and the complete annihilation of our enemies. We want Christ’s peace to be truly promoted, as opposed to that militaristic religious righteousness which only festers future divisions and engenders wasteful wars.

Prayer:                        Lord God, we thank You for the liberty and independence that we experience in our lives today. Sadly, we recognize that much of our freedoms were given to us through the battles that our people fought in the past and by the lives that were laid down in defense of our nation. Help us not to take our liberties for granted and remind us to pray for wisdom for our leaders and safety for our troops. In Christ’s Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on John’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is of a statue of Robert the Bruce on the field of Bannockburn. You can read more about the battle at the following link: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Bannockburn

A Scottish Spiderman

How a wee spider saved one of Scotland's greatest heroes.

Next to William Wallace of ‘Braveheart’ fame, Robert the Bruce is one of Scotland’s greatest heroes. He led the Scottish forces to victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It was a victory that ensured Scottish independence and enabled the Scots people to enjoy their freedom for several centuries.

Podcast version here

Like Wallace before him, Robert the Bruce had many setbacks and almost gave in to despair. At one point, he was a fugitive and spent the night in a cold, damp cave in order to hide from his enemies. He had reached the lowest point of his life and felt his struggle to win independence for Scotland was not worth the trials and tribulations he endured.

The story is told that he watched a spider trying to spin a web at the mouth of the cave. It kept trying to hook itself to a ridge, but kept failing and falling. Bruce was fascinated with the attempts that the spider made to latch itself on to the cave, but felt that it was futile. However, the wee spider persevered and eventually managed to accomplish its task. Soon the mouth of the cave was covered with a web.

This inspired Bruce to rethink his own unsuccessful campaign. If he and his Scottish army persevered, then perhaps they could win their freedom. After all, thought Bruce, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.’ For the first time in what seemed like ages, Bruce slept soundly in the cave.

What he didn’t know was that his enemies were nearby, scouring the land and searching for him. When they came to the cave, they almost entered it and would have found the sleeping Bruce defenseless. But they passed it by. Why? Because of the spider’s web. His enemies wrongly thought that because the web was unbroken, no one had entered the cave. The wee spider had not only inspired Bruce, it had actually saved his life.

Bible Verse of the Day

Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.

When Jeremiah speaks of “singleness of heart and action”, he is talking about perseverance and endurance. His people have wavered in their religious beliefs, causing them to be disunited and divided, which in turn made them easily conquered by their enemies. Jeremiah’s prophecy is about a time when God will put all things right and His people will not be diverted or distracted from fully worshiping and believing in God.

As Christians, we are the heirs of that prophecy. God has given us His Son Jesus to worship and glorify. When we focus upon Him and place our lives into His Hands, we are inspired to lead better lives because He sets us free from our sinful past and leads us towards a more promising future. In Him, we are given meaning for our lives; through Him, we are restored to God’s love and favor forevermore.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for succeeding over sin and winning the battle with evil and death. Your singleness of heart and action led You to the Cross at Calvary, which in turn granted us the hope of forgiveness and the opportunity of everlasting life. We owe everything to You, so we place our lives into Your hands for Your service, mission and Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.