Daily Devotionals
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 (Paula)
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of David and Goliath… we all know the little shepherd boy and the giant, right?
This is a picture I took in Israel a year ago in the Valley of Elah where this famous battle actually took place.
I’m a sucker for stories where the underdog wins… (Rocky, Rudy, Cinderella, Shawshank Redemption, Karate Kid, Sea Biscuit, etc) I mean… I love those movies!!
But the under-dog theme is not what I love most about the Bible story.
Young David is instructed by his father to check on the well-being of his older brothers who are fighting in the war against the Philistines. He leaves his field to bring his older brothers some high protein/high energy snacks for the battlefield and finds himself in the middle of an intense situation. After David hears Goliath the Philistine blasphemy God (Yahweh) and challenge the Israelites to a 1:1 battle, David says to King Saul:
“let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him.”
1 Sam 17:32
Keep in mind, no other soldiers were volunteering from the Israelite camp to take Goliath on, least of all, King Saul! So the king took David up on his offer.
Check this part out:
“Then King Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fasten on Saul’s sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.“ So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of a shepherd bag, and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”
v 38-40
Then David shouts to Goliath:
“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.”
And we know who wins!
I want you to look upon this image of David, facing the giant Goliath as a simple regular shepherd boy, not as a King Saul stand-in. This is the metaphor for the Christian life that I want to hold up for us today.
David’s greatest strength is that he refuses to pretend to be someone he is not. He does not hide behind King Saul’s armor, or carry the king’s sword while dressed in the finest battle tech. That armor didn’t fit. David’s best fit was what God gave him. David chooses to realize His empowerment comes from the Lord. He tucks himself — and his purpose —into his True King! That’s “Godfidence.”
One of the greatest temptations in this life is to compare ourselves to others. To try to become who others think we should be, rather than who God made us to be. To wear cumbersome, clanging metal armor, or stiff religion and traditional garb that is man-made… this is not necessary to be all that God wants us to be in the war against evil! Our efforts to weave the complicated persona behind which we hide can leave us exhausted, tipped over by burdensome baggage, or worse, angry and resentful.
David was able to rise to the occasion, to meet the threat of the enemy, because he didn’t try to be King Saul and live up to others’ expectations, but rather, he listened to the Spirit of God inside him. David “put on” God. David remembered the God he served. David remembered past experiences of slaying wild animals as a shepherd boy. He was drawing from what God had equipped him with after years in the field! David did not need to pretend to be someone he was not. He trusted, and he acted on his faith in the Lord God Almighty.
Sisters, God is the perfect fit for us today. He equips us for any battles that come our way.
As you grow in your faith, it’s good to study Gods Word, challenge yourself, set goals, work on obedience, make faithful friends, and keep running the race… but don’t tip yourself over by weight of thinking you have to wear someone else’s life to be useful.
God has a plan and purpose especially for YOU!
Be encouraged today!
Better Together,
Paula
This is a picture I took in Israel a year ago in the Valley of Elah where this famous battle actually took place.
I’m a sucker for stories where the underdog wins… (Rocky, Rudy, Cinderella, Shawshank Redemption, Karate Kid, Sea Biscuit, etc) I mean… I love those movies!!
But the under-dog theme is not what I love most about the Bible story.
Young David is instructed by his father to check on the well-being of his older brothers who are fighting in the war against the Philistines. He leaves his field to bring his older brothers some high protein/high energy snacks for the battlefield and finds himself in the middle of an intense situation. After David hears Goliath the Philistine blasphemy God (Yahweh) and challenge the Israelites to a 1:1 battle, David says to King Saul:
“let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him.”
1 Sam 17:32
Keep in mind, no other soldiers were volunteering from the Israelite camp to take Goliath on, least of all, King Saul! So the king took David up on his offer.
Check this part out:
“Then King Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fasten on Saul’s sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.“ So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of a shepherd bag, and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”
v 38-40
Then David shouts to Goliath:
“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.”
And we know who wins!
I want you to look upon this image of David, facing the giant Goliath as a simple regular shepherd boy, not as a King Saul stand-in. This is the metaphor for the Christian life that I want to hold up for us today.
David’s greatest strength is that he refuses to pretend to be someone he is not. He does not hide behind King Saul’s armor, or carry the king’s sword while dressed in the finest battle tech. That armor didn’t fit. David’s best fit was what God gave him. David chooses to realize His empowerment comes from the Lord. He tucks himself — and his purpose —into his True King! That’s “Godfidence.”
One of the greatest temptations in this life is to compare ourselves to others. To try to become who others think we should be, rather than who God made us to be. To wear cumbersome, clanging metal armor, or stiff religion and traditional garb that is man-made… this is not necessary to be all that God wants us to be in the war against evil! Our efforts to weave the complicated persona behind which we hide can leave us exhausted, tipped over by burdensome baggage, or worse, angry and resentful.
David was able to rise to the occasion, to meet the threat of the enemy, because he didn’t try to be King Saul and live up to others’ expectations, but rather, he listened to the Spirit of God inside him. David “put on” God. David remembered the God he served. David remembered past experiences of slaying wild animals as a shepherd boy. He was drawing from what God had equipped him with after years in the field! David did not need to pretend to be someone he was not. He trusted, and he acted on his faith in the Lord God Almighty.
Sisters, God is the perfect fit for us today. He equips us for any battles that come our way.
As you grow in your faith, it’s good to study Gods Word, challenge yourself, set goals, work on obedience, make faithful friends, and keep running the race… but don’t tip yourself over by weight of thinking you have to wear someone else’s life to be useful.
God has a plan and purpose especially for YOU!
Be encouraged today!
Better Together,
Paula
