Psalm 16:8, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

In Samuel 23 we read about King David’s Mighty Men. Although the story is brief, it is one of my favorites. Eleazar was considered one of three of David’s mightiest men. A warrior for David and servant of the Lord, Eleazar fought even when the Israelite army retreated. Samuel 23:10 says, “…but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day.”

One Sunday morning my Sunday school teacher told us the story of Eleazar. As an example for us, he recalled an incident when he was in high school. There was a boy named Zane who was mentally disabled. He functioned at a very low-level mentally but was able to attend school. Zane loved baseball, and for Christmas that particular year, he had received a bat autographed by none other than Babe Ruth.

Any time my teacher told stories about Zane, he totally held my attention. Zane was a big guy, and the coach of the high school allowed him to be a part of the baseball team as the equipment manager. Each afternoon after practice, Zane, escorted by a few members of the baseball team, walked the few blocks it took to get to his home. The coach preferred for some of the guys to go with him just to make sure he made it to his house. That particular day, Zane had taken his autographed bat to show the team. Some bullies from his school started taunting him on the walk home and telling him they were going to cut him if he did not give them his bat. When the gang produced the knives, Zane’s teammates ran, leaving him to face five of them, alone.

No one knew that Zane was not only a big guy and loved baseball, but Zane had a heart for the Lord. His dad read him the Bible every night before bed and every morning at breakfast. Zane couldn’t read but he could memorize and he shouted, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty,” from 1 Samuel 17:45.  He pulled up his bat, started swinging, three went down, and the other two ran.

When the coach arrived on the scene, the players having run to get his help, Zane was still swinging at the air, quoting scripture and praising God. It took about an hour to pry Zane’s fingers from the autographed bat, a modern-day Eleazar.

“The Lord brought about a great victory that day,” not only for Eleazar, son of Dodai the Ahohite and mighty man of David, but also for Zane, a devoted son of God and equipment manager for the baseball team.

Was it the sword and the bat that made the difference? If I were a betting man, I would wager against it. The sword that brought victory for the Lord both days was His word – the Sword of the Spirit.

What battles do you face today? When we arm ourselves with the Word of God, adding an “S” to the beginning is easy to form our weapon and ultimate victory in Him. Set the Lord before you. Know that with Him at your right hand, ‘you will NOT be shaken’.