I Samuel 4:5-6
“When the Chest of the Covenant of GOD was brought into camp, everyone gave a huge cheer. The shouts were like thunderclaps shaking the very ground. The Philistines heard the shouting and wondered what on earth was going on: ‘What’s all this shouting among the Hebrews?’”
“When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant pf the Lord coming into camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake! ‘What’s going on?’ the Philistines asked. ‘What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?’ When they were told it was because the Ark of the Lord had arrived, they panicked.”
These verses teach us to beware the emotional narcotic of the crowd. It deceived both armies. Israel believed there was no way they could lose. The Philistines agreed. But God’s plan cannot be turned aside. Though emotions enrich our life, Satan mines them productively. They are always meant to serve God’s purpose, not our own. Here there is safety in knowing God. Rooting in his character gives us strong stems to resist the wind of corporate emotion.
Lord, have mercy on me when my stem bends. Be ever the loving gardener who knows just how to make me grow.