I was looking at Facebook this morning and saw this notice that said Read 1 Samuel 17 and note anything the Lord sys to you. So I thought sounds a good idea. This was the result and I hope it helps someone.

1 Samuel 17 is about the famous story of David and Goliath.

Goliath came to the Israelites every morning and every night asking them to choose someone to come and fight Him but the Israelites were full of fear.

Why? Goliath was like a giant. He was dressed in heavy armour with a spear and javelin. He was terrifying. No wonder the Israelites were terrified.

We often have to face giants in our lives, don’t we? They stand tall, seem overpowering, too strong for us to fight. Do we run away hoping the situation will improve? Do we get anxious, fearful, panicky not knowing how to carry on sometimes? How do we face that illness, that fear, that person, times of doubt, loneliness, debt etc

The devil may throw accusations at you, how will you do that? How will you cope? Its too big for you? You’ll never get better, you’ll never be good enough. The giants we face can be frightening, just like Goliath was to the Israelites. What do we do in these times?

For 40 days Goliath came morning and evening to torment them, hoping to break them down. Does this sound familiar? It reminded me of Jesus when He was first baptised was in the desert for 40 days too being tempted by the devil to give in to it.

David went to his brothers to check they were ok and heard about Goliath. There was great fear. David said about how he had fought the bear , the lion and how he struck them , seized them  and killed them. God had been with David strengthening him and preparing him for this time and His future as King. David knew that God would rescue him from the bear and the lion. He knew that God was with Him, he trusted God.

Do we have such faith? Can we say , God has delivered me before, He has been with me before and will do it again? He has rescued us in the past do we trust Him enough to do it again? Are we spending enough time with God? Reading His word? Being quiet and still and listening for His still small voice. If we are then we like David can be prepared for when troubles come. Its so important to spend that quiet time with God. In the quiet He speaks to us. He longs us to come and be with Him. If we take that time He will come, you will hear.

So it was agreed that David would fight Goliath. Saul tried to dress him in His tunic and armour but it was too big and heavy for David

Do we try other things first before coming to God for help? Do we try in our own strength to sort things out and go to God last if all else fails? Do we go to others instead of God – there is nothing wrong in going to our brothers and sisters in Christ and asking for prayer and help in difficult situations , I have done many times thats what we are there for to support each other but do we rely on them more than our Heavenly Father?

David went to Goliath with nothing but the stones and sling but the Lord was with him. David had such a strong faith that he knew the Lord would deliver him from his enemies.  He had seen it happen in the past and he knew His God He trusted God.

‘I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty. This day the Lord will deliver you into our hands’

The rest of the story we know , David killed Goliath , the philistines were defeated.

If we fight our battles alone we may not get far, we start to sink. I was reminded of a verse

‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s’.

Also we must put on the armour of God everyday. Know that God is with you He will fight for you Have faith and trust in Him.

Read Psalm 46 its wonderful and BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD