My two kids were busy the other day making their DIY trading cards. They made up cards featuring each member of our family. And like trading cards, they indicated the special weapon, strength of attack, and then powers and abilities. They then competed with each other using their DIY cards.
If we think about it, each of us have been blessed by the Lord with skills we can use to survive our earthly journey. At the same time, the challenges that we face or the people who oppose us have their own abilities too. Abilities which they can use to hurt us, in one way or another.
As followers of Jesus, we must always remember that as we face the inevitable giants of our life, all we need to know is that we have a God that has our back.
“No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17
It is easy to get overwhelmed when we are being bullied, or being the subject of rumor-mongering. But we must understand that our King of Kings is in perfect control of everything that happens in our lives. He knows what is to come, and He sees everything from His vantage point. When other people hurt us for no reason, or we are being persecuted for following Him, He will surely come to our rescue.
“But this is what the Lord says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Isaiah 49:25-26
One of the most familiar Bible stories is that of David and Goliath. David bravely faced the gigantic Goliath, even if he was just a young shepherd boy. Invited to fight using the king’s sword and shield, David relied on His true and tested weapon — his faith in God.
“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 defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.” 1 Samuel 17:45-46
David believed He will overcome the giant that is Goliath because God is with Him. He recalled how God delivered Him in the past, and that fueled his hope and faith, that in this battle he is facing, he too will be defended by his Almighty God.
“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.” 1 Samuel 17:37
Like David, we should remember how God has been so faithful to us throughout the years — and even before we surrendered our life to Him. Like David, we should all be confident that our secret weapon of trust and faith in our God will carry us through life difficulties. That we need not rely on other people and their weapons to get us through our personal crises because we have a God whose eyes are on us. A God who will not allow us to perish.
“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!” Psalm 40:4
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 1 Samuel 17:26-50 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you confident that God will fight for you?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for fighting for us and never abandoning us. Thank you for giving us the hope to continue holding on to your promises when we are faced with gigantic obstacles and difficult people. Thank you for being our Mighty God who fights for us. Amen.
