Episode 444

TODAY’S READING:

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

Exodus 17:15

 

Now we’re just coming off of a battle, and Moses is thanking God for showing up and fighting on their behalf. So he builds an altar, and he declares that the Lord is his Banner. 

 

Now I think this name is so funny for this weekend as it is Super Bowl Sunday. And so all of the favorite jerseys come out the face paint, the team flags, the team colors, balloons, special food, the whole name, and we make it very known to everybody around us as to who we support in these games. That was even more prominent when it’s your whole team going against the other in the championships or the Super Bowl. And I know that here in Miami, we had some amazing years when the Miami Heat were really strong back to back. 

 

This was back when I was in college, and it was so fun. Getting dressed in all white for the while games are getting dressed and the reds and the blacks as we celebrated our team. And the best part was taking to the streets when we won. You see, in Miami, we have this weird tradition of all of us. And when I say all of us, I mean the entire city would get in our cars and drive down the roads, and we would hit our pots and pans, making so much noise, really all of the noise that we possibly could. 

 

We would scream at the top of our lungs, and we would be hitting these pots and pans with different cooking utensils. And so you need to Google it. You have to go on to YouTube, you have to look up Miami Heat championship, and you have to look up Miami championship Miami ins or Miamians on the streets so you can understand what I’m trying to say. I mean millions of people there are 2 million residents living in Miami, so 2 million people on the streets having their pots and pans with different forks and cooking spoons and things like that. And we’re making all this noise, and we’re jumping in pools, and we are so happy because we want to tell the world that we won and these are core memories that I have of my time in college, and there was nothing more fun than celebrating our team and their victory. And when I think of Jehovah Nisi, I think of the parade of these pots and pans, and I can imagine an entire city taking to the streets and making all of the noise possible to celebrate Jesus in their life. I know it’s not socially acceptable, but I kind of wish it was. See, the Lord is our Banner. And I wish we could scream to the top of our lungs for anybody and everyone to hear. May everybody know the team that we support me. Everybody knows that we fight for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May everybody see the Banner of Christ in our life and know that he has done a work in us and for us. 

 

May they see the fruit of our lives and know that it was all because of Jesus. I know that we can all hit our pots and pans, and we can’t all scream, but we can extend his love to those around us. We can wear him as a banner over our hearts, and we can serve His people so that may they may see him in us. They may feel his presence where we go and in the rooms that we enter, and in the people that we come into contact with. I pray that he follows us into every situation and that we continue to serve the people that he loves most which is on His creation, those who know him and those who don’t.

Now, today, the way we can apply that in our lives is by making sure that we do have him as the Banner of our life. It means that we have to enter these situations and carry him with us to mean so we have to be ones or people who extend grace. People who extend love people who extend mercy to those around us. We have to check our fuses. May we not get angry quickly. They will be slow to anger; they will be quick to have all of the faith in the world.

 

Prayer

Lord, You are our Banner. You are the one we love. You are the one we parade around. Our testimony is living proof. That you are a good good father. And our testimony is proof that you are faithful. We will carry you on the Banner across our hearts, serving your people for the rest of our lives. May the whole world know that we were forever change once you stepped into our life. We ask that you bless the ahead of us, and we thank you for being our Jehovah Nisi; we love you with everything else, and it is in your holy name that we pray. Amen.