Reading: Psalm 108:6-13

Father God,
I want to play my part
in turning things around in your church.
Today let your Kingdom come
and your will be done
through the power of your Holy Spirit.
Amen.

— — — —

After the Arameans saw
that they had been routed by Israel,
they regrouped.
Hadadezer had Arameans brought
from beyond the Euphrates River;
they went to Helam, with Shobak
the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

When David was told of this,
he gathered all Israel,
crossed the Jordan and went to Helam.
The Arameans formed their battle lines
to meet David and fought against him. 
But they fled before Israel,
and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers
and forty thousand of their foot soldiers.
 He also struck down Shobak
the commander of their army,
and he died there. 
When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer
saw that they had been routed by Israel,
they made peace with the Israelites
and became subject to them.
(2 Samuel 10:15-19 NIV)*