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January 30, 2024 | Daily Devotionals | January 30

Are You a Buffalo Or a Cow?

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:31-32

God’s man faces responsibility and duty head on. He tackles life’s problems instead of running away from them.

We see this principle played out on the Great Plains, in the contrast between the cow and the American bison—North America’s largest land animal. Anyone who has spent any time around cattle knows that when a storm hits, they scatter in panic. Bison, on the other hand, will come together as a herd, the females and calves in the middle, the bulls on the outside. But here’s the interesting part: the herd will run into the storm. Across the millennia that these great beasts have roamed the Plains, they’ve learned that the best way to survive a storm is to face it head on as one herd.

When the stress of life starts to drown out joy, or when a crisis hits, do you respond like a cow, or like a buffalo? Facing the storms of life doesn’t mean we have to like it. When Jesus was in the Garden and at one of His lowest moments, He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus being all man and all God, knew the horror of Roman crucifixion. But instead of running from His destiny, He prayed into the storm. Luke 22:44 says, “Being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Hematohidrosis—sweating blood—is a real but rare condition when a person is under extreme stress.

Jesus’ battle with Satan was won in the Garden, not on the Cross. He faced the demons, and overcame. We can too. But don’t do it alone. Be like the bison: find your herd and run into the storm. Together.

Father, help me to ask for help when a storm hits, and band with my brothers to face it together.

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