The Battle is the LORD’s

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming  closer to David...and he despised him...and the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals.”
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, I’ll strike you down and cut off your head...and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All 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.”
I Samuel 17:41-47
The battle is not yours. The battle is the LORD’s. Place your trust in Him.

This is a scene that depicts the struggle between the people of God and our avowed enemy, Satan and his demons. It is a picture of the eternal battle between the forces of good and that of evil. Goliath despised David and cursed him by his gods - a picture of the hatred that Satan has for God’s children. Goliath was confident that he would annihilate David; but David was not in the least frightened. David countered that the LORD was going to deliver Goliath into his hands for all to know that there is a God in Israel. Our God is Mighty in battle.

Goliath expected David to be intimidated but David was not. David knew that the power of God was far greater than the spear and javelin that the nine-foot giant held in his hands. David was confident because he knew he had stepped into battle in the name of the LORD. Javelins and spears were useless when God was fighting the battle on his behalf. The battle is the LORD’s.

As we handle the battles of life, we tend to be faced with many intimidating giants. Many of our problems can look like unsurmountable nine-foot giants. Those giants can make us fearful and feel inadequate. Those giants would threaten to destroy us. In our own strength, we can never face them; but in the name of the LORD, we can overcome them. The assurance of God in Isaiah 41:10 is very comforting, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Always remember that the battle is the LORD’s. Prepare adequately for whatever task you face and step out boldly with full confidence that the battle is the LORD’s. It is never yours. God will always fight for you.

Prayer: Father, the feeling of inadequacy in light of all that I have to deal with can be rather overwhelming. But help me to remember that the battle is yours, never mine. Amen.