April 15, 2012 (1 Samuel 17; Psalm 9; Matthew 2)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine! Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. And may the Lord be with you!” 1 Samuel 17:37 NLT
Observation: Goliath was over nine feet tall, a huge man with great strength. He had been a warrior since his youth and was well skilled in battle. However, he suffered severally from pride and arrogance and trusted in his own abilities more than anything else. David a small stature shepherd boy was the only one brave enough, and confident enough in the Lord, to go out to fight Goliath. Saul was hesitant to let David go fight Goliath because if he lost the army would become the Philistine’s slaves. David told Saul, “The Lord rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear, and He will rescue me from this Philistine as well!” Now that’s trust in the Lord right there!
Application: I’ve faced a few giants in my life, and some of them sure have seemed as large as Goliath. I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t have the trust in God that David did, but I’m working on that. I’m learning to trust God completely and believe He will rescue me from the Goliaths I encounter. The Lord has indeed rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear, and I’m learning to trust Him to deliver me from the hands of my Goliath as well. All of my hope is in Him to deliver me. His strong right arm will fight for me and win! The battle is not mine, but the Lord’s, He will have victory and I will share in His victory with Him. Just as Goliath fell before David, my Goliath will fall before me. Though my Goliath may come at me with sword, spear, and javelin, I will come in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies – The God of Israel.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You so much for Your word! You teach me and encourage me so much with it. Your instructions are perfect and do not fail. Your arm is strong and wins victory for me. You fight for me because of Your grace and mercy. You win victory for Your names sake. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day! Lord, I trust You, enable me to embrace Your will whatever happens, in Jesus name, Amen!