HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?
JULY 16, 2016
1 Samuel 17:37-50 (NKJV)
37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail.
39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.
43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel… …
With the passage of every day, situations and challenges confront us, each one appearing more daunting and perhaps even more discouraging than the other. Our world is evolving with ever-increasing realities that seem to throw this question in our face: “how big is your God”? It may have to do with threats to your personal life or professional security. It may be in your marriage with the challenges of the fruit of the womb which may have lingered. Your marriage partner may have turned out to be the “monster” whose attitude has badly weakened your faith in God’s ability to turn your situation around. It may even be the extreme case of spiritual forces that have held you in bondage. All these may be the Goliath that continually assails you and torments your life.
When Goliath stood in his towering grandeur and challenged both the Israelites and their God to a duel, they trembled in fright because they found him, the enemy, too overwhelming. David came into the scene, however, and despite his youth and small stature, he saw what the entire Israelite army could not see; the enemy may be mighty, but Jehovah, the God of Israel is ALMIGHTY. That was the secret of David’s victory over Goliath who came crashing down before him. It does not matter for how long that “Goliath” has taunted you and your faith. Do what David did. Confront it in the name of the Lord, who has never lost a battle!
Prayer: Lord, give me victory over my “Goliath”.