April 15, 2014

1 Samuel 17:  ³⁷ The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Goliath is coming out and heaping insults on the Israelites.  He says the Philistines will be the servants of the Israelites if only they send one man to fight him, and their man wins.  If he loses, the Israelites will be servants of the Philistines.  David is bringing supplies to his brothers in Saul's army.  He hears Goliath and volunteers to be that man.  Even though others doubt he can do it, he calls on his faith to make him the victor.  He goes, and he wins.

I am struck by David's faith--even arrogance it might seem--but I am also struck by Saul's desperation.  He has listened to the insults, and his own faith is not equal to the task, although God has done mighty deeds for him in the past.  At this point, sending young David to take on a giant seems like a viable option.  Was it b/c of the faith that David radiated?  Or was Saul just ready to have an ending, whatever that was?

Prayer:  Lord, give me faith like David's.  My faith wavers under the wind of my daily obligations.  I find myself moving farther and farther from You, not b/c of my will to move in that way, but b/c I am weak and the pressures on me are great.  I need Your strength to face my daily challenges with a strong faith to guide my every move.
Amen