“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled.’” I Samuel 17:45 (NIV)
Devotion:
Watching the Miss Universe contest has always been a fun experience for the gals in my family. We pick out our favorites and keep score as to who looks the best in each gown and swim suit and answers the tough questions without messing up.
One year we were unanimous in our selection: Miss USA. She was perfect, tall and shapely with beautiful hair and eyes and wearing what we believed was the most gorgeous gown any of us had ever seen. She was favored to win the entire contest by all the media from day one of the competition.
But then the completely unexpected happened. Anticipation was high as Miss USA was announced and she walked out, smiled at the crowd – and fell! Hard.
To her credit she got right up but she tripped twice as she walked the rest of the runway for the judges and the crowd.
There was total shock from everyone in the audience as well as those of us watching at home! What in the world had happened to this beautiful young lady?
Commentators believed they had the answer: she had taken her eyes off her runway performance, they speculated, and had focused instead on the huge crowd. If they were correct, it was a big mistake and it cost her the Miss Universe title.
Compare that to today’s Key Scripture from I Samuel 17:45 – a conversation David is having with Goliath, the Philistine standing tall in front of him.
David was only a boy in this confrontation and the giant standing before him was a 9’tall man intent on killing him with a sword while David held only a few stones and a sling as a weapon. And yet David’s focus was not on the giant but on the “God of the armies of Israel.”
Oh, he saw the giant standing there. But David was zeroed in on the One who laughs at giants and equips His children for battle with Truth in the form of stones and a sling.
And the result? The giant fell and David was victorious for the Lord.
We all have giants in our lives. Oh maybe not the 9’ tall Goliath variety. But just maybe they are worse. What about fear? Fear can grip us by the throat and threaten to strangle us. Maybe a spouse is addicted to porn or drugs. Or perhaps we have a prodigal child who hasn’t spoken to us in months or years.
So what do we do when we stand before a giant? Do we focus on it? Not according to David in our Scripture. Here are some suggestions.
First, call it what it is. Pray “Lord, I need your help. I am facing a giant and it is (fill in the blank).” By doing that, you are admitting there is something in your life that you cannot fix but God can. He understands your battle.
Secondly, ask the Lord to arm you with His power and then run toward the giant. That’s what David did. He called out Goliath for what he really was and then he ran to him to do battle.
Lastly, refuse to let that giant back in your life. Trust God to arm you with courage and strength, just as He did David.
My encouragement to you today is to take your focus off your giant and place it on the God of the Universe, the Ultimate Giant Slayer. He will not let you down.
My Prayer for Today:
Father, help me every single day to focus on you instead of the giants in my life. Use me as a giant slayer no matter what I am facing. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Reflection:
What are some of the giants in your life that you face every day? Where is your focus? On the giants or on the Giant Slayer?
Application:
Make a list in your journal of the giants you are facing. Share the list with a prayer warrior in your life and set a time to pray together weekly.
Listen to the Lord speaking to your heart as He leads you in battle against each giant.
Power Verses:
I Samuel 17:45 (NIV) “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled.’”
Colossians 3:2 (NIV) “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Proverbs 4:25 (NIV) “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”
(For more of Nancy Hughes writing and information about her books, check out her website.)
No comments:
Post a Comment