GOD IS GREATER THAN…

 

But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

1 Samuel 17:45

 

To say we live in troubled days is a bit of an understatement. Wars are starting to show their nasty heads around the world. Evil dictators oppress and kill innocent people, even once free nations see their freedom taken from them. The economy is rapidly declining as hard-working people find it hard to put gas in their cars and feed their families. Fear is at an all-time high.

            As always, Scripture has much to teach us about fear and what to do in the face of unbeatable odds. Look at a young man named David in 1 Samuel 17. The armies of Israel were facing a losing battle. They had been fighting their arch enemy and not making much headway. The Philistines (the emeny) put out their secret weapon to make matters worse. A massive giant of a man named Goliath. Goliath would come out and challenge the armies of Israel to send out their champion. Their best against him, one on one, and the winner takes all. The problem was Israel had no champion. They were all afraid and hid each time Goliath appeared.

            Isn't that what we do so often. The fears of this world call out to challenge us, and we hide in fear. We only see how bad things are. We see how hopeless things seem and that danger is only getting worse, and there is no champion to rescue us. Then came David.

            David was a young man, a boy really, who had no training or battle experience. But David knew one thing that the others forgot. He knew God. One day I came across this quote. I do not know where it came from, but it is powerful. "When David faced Goliath, he didn't talk about how dangerous Goliath was – he talked about how great God is." It did not matter how big Goliath was, what weapons he had, or even how many battles he had won before this time. All that mattered to David was that God was greater.

            Look at this entire response. David said to Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. Then I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and that this entire assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will hand you over to us!" (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

            David didn't say, "If it is God's will, I will do this" or "If I win, then I will…" no, David had total confidence in the Lord his God. No doubt, no fear, no question. He knew that God was greater.

            When we face challenges in life, we too must know (not hope, not wish, not even pray for but know) that God is greater. Write this down and carry it with you as a reminder. GOD IS GREATER THAN ___________ then fill in the blank. It doesn't matter what it is; God is greater. No matter how difficult or challenging, God is greater. Know this, and you can defeat any enemy, even fear.

 

You can learn more about Personal Development from the author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website: www.growthcenter.net.    © 2022 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this material may be reprinted or published without the author's written permission.