Walking with David

And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:37

Goliath had taunted the army of Saul for forty days, terrifying them, to the point that they were reluctant to fight at all. Goliath had them running scared, until a young shepherd boy came along. David may have been naïve in the complexities of war but there was nothing artificial in his ability against an adversary.

David believed whole-heartedly in the sovereignty of God and in his protection over his people, even a lowly shepherd. He firmly believed that the Lord’s hand of protection was upon his life and there was nothing that God could not deliver him from. When David looked at Goliath, he didn’t see a giant, he saw a man defying God. When Goliath looked at David, he made the mistake of only seeing a seemingly defenceless young boy.

Appearances can be deceiving. The Israelites saw strength where, in fact, there was weakness. Goliath saw foolishness where there was actually understanding. For David, the picture was clear; God had the power to deliver and that recognition made him fearless.

God gives each one of us an inner courage and strength to be completely fearless against any enemy. The apostle Paul attests to this, in saying:

“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us.” _{2 Cor 1:10}

When you come up against something that looks terrifying from the outside, remember that you carry the power of God’s Spirit on the inside. When you see a situation through God’s eyes, and recognise that he has the power to deliver, you become fearless.