1 Samuel 17:37

And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”

     The story of David and Goliath is used so often today that at times it tarnishes the meaning. Think about how many times it is used pertaining to sports. Sometimes it is used when two athletes of varying size compete, which at least has some relevance. Often times, though, it is used for a team that supposedly outmatches the other in every area. It has been relegated to a story of long odds.

     It would be dangerous to think that just any common day situation, especially sports, is equivalant to David and Goliath. It is not as if David out hustled Goliath. It’s not as though David had a few lucky bounces go his way. Instead it was the power of the almighty God that brought victory. David’s faith in the Lord was truly the key. Had he relied on his own power, he would have surely lost. Yet by leaning on the strength of the Lord, David was able to overcome. This is vastly different than how must people use the story today.

     As Christians we can take hope in David’s victory. We do have a similar situation ourselves. We have an intimidating enemy as well. That enemy is Satan. He is walking about as a roaring lion, trying to devour us. If we were to rely on our own strength, there is no doubt that we would fail. Yet we do not have to trust ourselves. We can be like David and trust in the Lord to help us overcome. Like David, we still have to face the enemy and fight. But if we realize that we have God’s power on our side, we have the assurance of victory.

 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”