Tenacious Faith
Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:40,45-48
"Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine....45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him."
Observations:
This has got to be one of the most exciting passages in the Old Testament. This seemingly cocky young kid volunteers to go into battle and take on the Phillistine giant Goliath who has struck debilitating fear in the hearts of Israel's warriors. With no one else brave enough to fight, David does something crazy- he starts talking smack to a 9 ft giant! It's one thing to talk a big game from the safety of the sideline, but David took it one step further and put feet to his words. Where did David get such courage? He didn't even seem the least bit afraid that he might get killed. To top it all off, in front of both sets of armies with everyone watching, he publicly declared victory before the battle ever took place. Not only was he not afraid, he actually picked the fight in the first place and hit the battlefield running at full speed to take on Goliath with nothing but a slingshot. Question is, why was David so confident? It wasn't like he had any guarantees from the Lord that he would win. He hadn't consulted Samuel or inquired of the Lord to even ask if it was God's will for him to take on Goliath. But David didn't need any more motivation than the fact that God's reputation was at stake and as far as he was concerned, God was worth the risk. Where did He get such bold confidence? It could have been that he was just young and inexperienced, but more likely it was based on the fact that God had proven Himself to David before, giving him good reason to confidently expect God be who he knew Him to be. Because David was bold enough to risk his life and reputation on God’s behalf, it’s no surprise that God was more than willing that day to return the favor. "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1).
Application:
It's easy to believe God that God is able when the stakes are low and there's very little personal risk involved. Every time circumstances threaten us with fear and intimidation and challenge our faith, it is then that we have a perfect opportunity to trust God. Many times we miss out on God's miracles simply because we're unsure of the outcome and unwilling to risk our pride on whether or not God will or will not come through. But God honors the kind of tenacious faith that is willing to risk everything and is concerned less with self and more concerned with preserving God's reputation. God always promises to move on behalf of those who's hearts are fully committed to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). So the question is not so much, "Will God come through?" but rather, "How much of my heart have I committed to God?" and "Am I really willing to risk everything to preserve God's reputation?"
Prayer:
Father, give us tenacious faith that defies the circumstances of life and is willing to risk everything for the sake of Christ. We surrender our hearts to Your and commit ourselves again to Your purposes and look to Your with expectant hearts today. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine....45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him."
Observations:
This has got to be one of the most exciting passages in the Old Testament. This seemingly cocky young kid volunteers to go into battle and take on the Phillistine giant Goliath who has struck debilitating fear in the hearts of Israel's warriors. With no one else brave enough to fight, David does something crazy- he starts talking smack to a 9 ft giant! It's one thing to talk a big game from the safety of the sideline, but David took it one step further and put feet to his words. Where did David get such courage? He didn't even seem the least bit afraid that he might get killed. To top it all off, in front of both sets of armies with everyone watching, he publicly declared victory before the battle ever took place. Not only was he not afraid, he actually picked the fight in the first place and hit the battlefield running at full speed to take on Goliath with nothing but a slingshot. Question is, why was David so confident? It wasn't like he had any guarantees from the Lord that he would win. He hadn't consulted Samuel or inquired of the Lord to even ask if it was God's will for him to take on Goliath. But David didn't need any more motivation than the fact that God's reputation was at stake and as far as he was concerned, God was worth the risk. Where did He get such bold confidence? It could have been that he was just young and inexperienced, but more likely it was based on the fact that God had proven Himself to David before, giving him good reason to confidently expect God be who he knew Him to be. Because David was bold enough to risk his life and reputation on God’s behalf, it’s no surprise that God was more than willing that day to return the favor. "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1).
Application:
It's easy to believe God that God is able when the stakes are low and there's very little personal risk involved. Every time circumstances threaten us with fear and intimidation and challenge our faith, it is then that we have a perfect opportunity to trust God. Many times we miss out on God's miracles simply because we're unsure of the outcome and unwilling to risk our pride on whether or not God will or will not come through. But God honors the kind of tenacious faith that is willing to risk everything and is concerned less with self and more concerned with preserving God's reputation. God always promises to move on behalf of those who's hearts are fully committed to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). So the question is not so much, "Will God come through?" but rather, "How much of my heart have I committed to God?" and "Am I really willing to risk everything to preserve God's reputation?"
Prayer:
Father, give us tenacious faith that defies the circumstances of life and is willing to risk everything for the sake of Christ. We surrender our hearts to Your and commit ourselves again to Your purposes and look to Your with expectant hearts today. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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