“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” 1 Samuel 17:37
Here is young David placing into proper perspective his upcoming battle with the giant Goliath. Think of it! By all outward indications, David would be foolish to go against this huge armed and experienced combat veteran with a mere slingshot and some stones. No one would have blamed him for refusing to face this man. By human standards, David didn’t have a hope of surviving a fight with Goliath.
But David saw it differently. He did “not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) He did not evaluate himself and his circumstances relative to this approaching enemy, but saw it all in the context of his relationship with God. As a believer, he knew he was one of God’s people and would later write that God “has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire.” (2 Samuel 23:5) Thus he was confident that he was an object of God’s undeserved and gracious favor.
For David, this comprehension of his standing with God served as an antidote to any fears that might come when enemies or trials came his way. David wrote, “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle – My lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and the One in whom I take refuge.” (Psalm 144:1-2)
Indeed, how many Christians are robbed of this confidence and peace of mind when they forget that they have a loving and sovereign heavenly Father who oversees, provides, and protects them. Thomas Charles wrote concerning God that, “He is all sufficient. We can never trust too little in man, nor too much in God… Has He given his Son to die for us; and will he not take care of us the few days we are on our journey to our Father’s house? The thought is unworthy of Him… Let us honor Him and testify our good opinion of Him by trusting Him with the care of our souls and bodies – with our temporal and eternal concerns. Though all should forsake us and prove unfaithful, yet faith will say, ‘This God is our God forever and forever; and He will be our guide unto death.’ – what more can we want this side of death?”
But we also see that David bolsters his argument regarding God’s protection by bringing to his mind the memory of God’s intervention in the past while he was shepherding sheep. He remembers how God enabled him to overcome a bear and a lion that tried to attack the flock. This event from the past reminded David that God was not only able, but also willing to protect him. And he also knew that not only was God’s love for him unchanging, but that God himself never changed. As such, his confidence and faith were strengthened by believing that God would continue to preserve and protect him for all of the days God had allotted him for the future.
As Christians, how foolish it is to look at our circumstances only in the light of what we can see or touch! And yet we are so often influenced by such things as how much money is in the bank, or the strength of numbers. When David’s friend Jonathan went up with his servant against the more numerous Philistines, he said “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” (1 Samuel 14:6)
Christian, are you facing a Goliath right now? Is some seemingly insurmountable set of circumstances shaking your confidence and causing you to fear? Remember, if you are truly a believer, then you are a child of God and under His care and protection. God says to His people, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you… thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Counsel yourself like David did with himself by recalling God’s protection and care for you in the past. Know that He does not change, and will never leave you or forsake you because the love He has for His children is an everlasting love. Know that, “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.”
Here is young David placing into proper perspective his upcoming battle with the giant Goliath. Think of it! By all outward indications, David would be foolish to go against this huge armed and experienced combat veteran with a mere slingshot and some stones. No one would have blamed him for refusing to face this man. By human standards, David didn’t have a hope of surviving a fight with Goliath.
But David saw it differently. He did “not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) He did not evaluate himself and his circumstances relative to this approaching enemy, but saw it all in the context of his relationship with God. As a believer, he knew he was one of God’s people and would later write that God “has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire.” (2 Samuel 23:5) Thus he was confident that he was an object of God’s undeserved and gracious favor.
For David, this comprehension of his standing with God served as an antidote to any fears that might come when enemies or trials came his way. David wrote, “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle – My lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and the One in whom I take refuge.” (Psalm 144:1-2)
Indeed, how many Christians are robbed of this confidence and peace of mind when they forget that they have a loving and sovereign heavenly Father who oversees, provides, and protects them. Thomas Charles wrote concerning God that, “He is all sufficient. We can never trust too little in man, nor too much in God… Has He given his Son to die for us; and will he not take care of us the few days we are on our journey to our Father’s house? The thought is unworthy of Him… Let us honor Him and testify our good opinion of Him by trusting Him with the care of our souls and bodies – with our temporal and eternal concerns. Though all should forsake us and prove unfaithful, yet faith will say, ‘This God is our God forever and forever; and He will be our guide unto death.’ – what more can we want this side of death?”
But we also see that David bolsters his argument regarding God’s protection by bringing to his mind the memory of God’s intervention in the past while he was shepherding sheep. He remembers how God enabled him to overcome a bear and a lion that tried to attack the flock. This event from the past reminded David that God was not only able, but also willing to protect him. And he also knew that not only was God’s love for him unchanging, but that God himself never changed. As such, his confidence and faith were strengthened by believing that God would continue to preserve and protect him for all of the days God had allotted him for the future.
As Christians, how foolish it is to look at our circumstances only in the light of what we can see or touch! And yet we are so often influenced by such things as how much money is in the bank, or the strength of numbers. When David’s friend Jonathan went up with his servant against the more numerous Philistines, he said “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” (1 Samuel 14:6)
Christian, are you facing a Goliath right now? Is some seemingly insurmountable set of circumstances shaking your confidence and causing you to fear? Remember, if you are truly a believer, then you are a child of God and under His care and protection. God says to His people, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you… thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Counsel yourself like David did with himself by recalling God’s protection and care for you in the past. Know that He does not change, and will never leave you or forsake you because the love He has for His children is an everlasting love. Know that, “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.”