Judges 6:12 -"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor."
Most every girl longs for a warrior prince, a noble knight, a valiant man of honor. Unfortunately, these days, men of such esteem are few and far between.
When I was little, I adored the "princes" in the movies. My heart would ache with excitement and longing while I watched Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty, as he rode in on his noble steed, defeated the dragon, braved through the forests, thundered up the palace steps and rescued his beloved princess!
What modern-day normal, average Joe would do such a dangerous and noble thing now?
The answer? Very few.
Recently, I've been reading the Old Testament battle sequences in the Bible. Over and over, I find phrases like "mighty men of valor" and "all the valiant men" and "a man of war." Words such as "honorable," "strong," and "helper" have stuck out among all the names and stories of the warriors. Men like David, Jephthah, Gideon, Benaiah have a name among the "mighty men of valour." David was a warrior and a King. He slayed Giants by day and wrote songs and psalms by night. A mighty man.... a tender man. A poet and a fighter. Many times we overlook the amazing "wow-ness" in the story of David killing the lion and the bear with his two hands, and then the giant, Goliath, with a single stone.
What modern-day guy could do that??
The answer? Next to none.
Sadly, the men who have the power of God upon them so strongly that they can defeat lions, tigers, bears (oh my!) and the giants are closer to zero. Most "men" are femininity-bashing, innocence-conquering, wolves in sheep's clothing. They are of the charm-enhancing, smooth-talking, self-centered breed, who believe themselves to be God's gift to women. Where are the noble knights? The mighty men of valor? The honorable kind?
Take heart, my sisters reading, for there are still a few warrior-princes out there. Amongst the ones who try to be men in their own strength and under their own terms, are the mighty princes on their noble steeds who still stand for and fight for their King Jesus, who still defend the poor and the weak, who still protect innocence and purity, and who still have a tender heart and a warrior spirit.
There is one man, however, who is the ultimate picture of a Warrior Prince. In fact, he makes Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty look rather wimpy. He is the One who is the epitome of manhood, of knighthood, of strength and power. He is the One who is the shining example of love, faithfulness, tenderness, and wonder.
He is none other than Christ Jesus.
The few warrior-princes of our day are truly a sight to behold! But they are only small shadows of the ultimate Warrior-Prince. They are His workmanship and He has molded them into His likeness. But He is the true Warrior-Prince. It is Jesus who is the ultimate "mighty man of valor" who conquers sin, death, and the grave. It is Jesus who is the epitome of nobility and honor, who is full of grace and lovingkindness.
It is a lovely thing to have an earthly warrior-prince....a man who will serenade you, write you sweet sonnets, love you eternally, and fight with all the zeal of a knight for your heart.
But it is an even greater thing to be Christs'....to have the great King of Kings die for you, love you unconditionally, write psalms and love letters to you, intercede for you, never leave you or forsake you, conquer all for you, defeat all evil for you, and building a mansion for you where you will be with Him forever.
He's a Warrior.... and a Prince.
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