STRENGTH IN THE LORD

November 23 

This day Yahweh will deliver you up into my hands...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 1 Samuel 17:46a, c

“I am not strong enough to do this on my own.” Have you ever said that to yourself before? Or have you ever said it to God in prayer? It could be there is an overwhelming situation pressing in around us. Or it could be that we have neglected looking to God for strength and have found ourselves to be weak. In any situation it is good to look to the Lord.  

David was only a young man when he arrived on the battlefield and saw Goliath defying Israel. All on his own David would never have been able to defeat this mighty warrior. If his physical weakness and lack of agility did not doom him, surely his overconfidence would have. Often we think far too much of ourselves and our own abilities.  

How was David able to kill Goliath? It was not because he was able to muster all of his energy and speed at once. It’s not because he hyped himself up at just the right time. Instead, his success was based on his confidence in the power of God. He says, “Yahweh will deliver you into my hands.” At the end of the day he wanted to see God known and glorified even among the Philistines.  

What is the lesson of 1 Samuel 17? We are not primarily supposed to take away from it the confidence that if we try hard enough we will be able to slay the Goliaths in our life. Rather, it is to observe the greatness and dignity of God. Be overwhelmed by the character of God and allow Him to be the driving force in your life.  

Matt Foreman