The Life of DavidSample

Day 9: 1 Sam. 17-18 x Andrea Alexis, Levite at UPPERROOM

“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 the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

Before David proclaimed this to Goliath, the Lord had been preparing David in the hidden fields amongst the sheep. This is the place where his history with God began—where he came to know the voice of his Good Shepherd.

What is cultivated in secret is revealed in times of crisis. The internal reality David had lived in the field all those years was exposed before the nations as he stood against Goliath. His faith in God that was birthed in the secret place became the faith that ultimately led the whole nation of Israel. David did not trust in his own abilities. He had not learned to fight with a spear, arrow, or sword, but he had learned to fight in the Name of the Lord–the same Name that saved him from the lion and the bear. He knew that even though the giant he faced was bigger than what he had experienced before, God would deliver him again along with his entire nation.

His perspective was different from that of the army of Israel. When Israel saw an enemy, David saw God’s glory and power ready to be displayed to the nations of the earth. He lived from a heavenly viewpoint—where his eyes had become completely fixated on the Lord so that earthly circumstances did not move him. The army of Israel, including the king, was too afraid to confront this Philistine. But a young boy who had been hidden in his father’s field for years chose to walk in faith in his God.

We all, at one point, will face a giant.

Moses had his Pharaoh.

Gideon had his Midianites.

Esther had her Haman.

Daniel had his lion’s den.

David had his Goliath.

It wasn’t their strategies or even perfectly executed plans that caused them to overcome their giants. It was the Lord. It was their simple faith in God. Their full trust and reliance on Him alone caused them to overcome their enemies.

Prayer: Father, thank You for making a way for me to have fellowship with You. Thank You for sending Your only Son who defeated our greatest giants—sin and death! Thank You that I am already victorious because of the blood You shed, and I am now seated with You in heavenly places. I repent, Lord, where I have turned my eyes toward my circumstances instead of gazing at Your beauty. I ask, Holy Spirit, that You would open my eyes again to see the Son. I put my faith in You, Jesus, and in Your finished work on the cross. Thank You for giving me life and victory through Your very body and blood. Amen.