Psalms 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust. 7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you. 15 He shall call on Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver Him, and honor Him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation (Yeshua).
A beachhead is the first critical objective in a military invasion–the spot where a force lands on enemy territory and secures a position for greater advancement. It’s the place of breakthrough. And it’s also the place of fiercest resistance.
On June 6, 1944–D-Day–Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in one of the most dangerous and decisive moments of World War II. The cost was staggering. Thousands laid down their lives to establish that beachhead. But securing it turned the tide of the war.
The enemy understands what’s at stake at a beachhead: it’s the beginning of the end for his territory. That’s why he defends it with fury. But it’s also where courageous soldiers — committed, focused, and unshaken — make history.
For us as believers in Yeshua (Jesus), the metaphor is rich. Each of us is called to be a beachhead for the Kingdom–a place where God’s light pierces the darkness, where His truth, love, and righteousness begin to take ground.
But here’s the key: before we can be effective beachheads, we must be secured. Our hearts must first be yielded. God must take hold of us–shining His light into our inner battles, tearing down strongholds, and establishing His peace where chaos once reigned.
This spiritual war is real, and it can be costly. But in the midst of it, the Lord does not just call you to fight—He also calls you to dwell in Him. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). The battle rages, but the safest place you can be is in His presence. Yes, there is sacrifice. Yes, there is warfare. But Yeshua is your Commander—and your Shelter. In Him, you’ll find both covering and rest.
Even as He uses you to bring breakthroughs in others, He invites you to abide in Him. Let your heart become His secure place–not just for warfare, but also for worship. Not just a battlefield–but a sanctuary.
So if the battle feels intense and the cost seems high, remember D-Day–and remember this: every life laid down that day was part of a greater freedom. Your surrender, your faithfulness, your rest in Him will echo in eternity. And one day, Yeshua will say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant… you were My beachhead.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
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A “second time.” Jonah’s repentance gave him a second chance to obey the Lord and to fulfill his ministry. And he did it successfully. The apostle Paul tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” [Romans 11:29]. Jonah’s disobedience did not take away his calling as a prophet. The discipline of the Lord was fruitful in his life. But compare King Saul. He also got a second chance after failing to wait for Samuel [1 Samuel 13] and he disobeyed again, and lost his kingship [1 Samuel 15]. But even that took many years to transpire after David was anointed.
Jonah now acknowledges that God put him where he is, and he accepts His discipline. “Sheol” is the “grave”, the “pit” or the “abode of the dead”. Did Jonah die, or was he only nearly dead from three days of fish stomach acid, and little or no air? The text doesn’t say; only that if he didn’t actually leave his body, he came as close as a man can get to it; three days worth. In this nebulous and miserable place Jonah cried out, probably from the deepest depths of his agonized soul…he cried out to the Lord.
While most read the story of Jonah focusing on Jonah’s journey, I want to pause and examine the lives of the pagan sailors. What a journey they were on! We see the hand of God touching them providentially through Jonah’s disobedience. Talk about God bringing good from evil.
So the captain came to Jonah, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” At this point the captain (who probably worshiped Baal and Yamm, god of the sea) has more faith than Jonah.
It must have been a bad storm. These men were experienced, hardened sailors who had seen it all at sea. If they were scared, this could have been the first “perfect storm” since Noah’s flood. So they started the first interfaith prayer meeting in the Bible, each man crying out to his own god. As the ship groaned and creaked in howling wind and massive waves, and the men threw cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to save it, where was Jonah? On deck helping them? Confidently praying to His own God? Shaking with fear and paralyzed with deep conviction? No, he’s taking a nap down below…
Back in the third century Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage wrote to his friend Donatus: “It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered, in the midst of it, a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret.
For the next week or so we’ll be looking closely at the life of Jonah the prophet. Jonah was told to “preach against the city of Nineveh”, that was in the ancient kingdom of Assyria. Nineveh was a major city on the banks of the Tigris River about 500 miles north and east of where Jonah was; located on a contemporary map in modern Iraq, about 300 miles north of Baghdad. Archaeologists have found the ruins of ancient Nineveh right outside the Iraqi city of Mosul. Yes, the same Mosul that was taken last week by jihadists!