Before and After the Battle

You are my strong fortress, and you set me free.

2 Samuel 22:33 (CEV)

Louis Zamperini survived being shot down over the Pacific Ocean, being lost at sea for 47 days, and being tortured for two years as a Japanese prisoner in World War II. How could anyone survive that?

He relied on the strength of his body and mind and sheer willpower. “If you can take it, you can make it,” he told himself.

But when he got home and faced the nightmares and flashbacks of PTSD, it brought him to his knees. He found himself trapped in a prison of the mind and a cycle of alcoholic binges.

When his own strength failed him, an encounter with God saved him. After listening to American preacher Billy Graham speak from the Bible, Louis chose to follow Jesus Christ. God gave him the strength to forgive his former jailers. “God knew my needs and took care accordingly,” he said. His story is so remarkable, it’s retold in the book and movie called Unbroken.

Today’s verse was written by King David, a man God used mightily to protect the nation of Israel. David attributes all his abilities and success in battle to God. When a warrior puts their trust in God, they are never alone because God is always with them, helping them.

God is with you, too. Your battles may seem smaller than Louis Zamperini’s or King David’s, but in God’s eyes, they are just as important. Whatever you are going through, put your trust in God. He will give you strength to get through.

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Veterans have all kinds of amazing stories of how God helped them through difficult situations. Ask a Veteran you know to tell you about their story! Then thank God for the strength he gives you each day.

INSPIRATION

“True to his (God’s) promise, he came into my heart and my life. The moment was more than remarkable; it was the most realistic experience I’d ever had . . . I felt no tremendous sensation, just a weightlessness and an enveloping calm that let me know that Christ had come into my heart.”

—Louis Zamperini in his book Devil at My Heels

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

2 Samuel 22:30–35

Psalm 144:1

1 Corinthians 1:25

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17