[Tuesday's Devotional] - Not by Sword but by God’s Word

Not by Sword but by God's Word When Samuel the prophet visited David's father to choose Israel's next king from among his sons, David was not at home.  He was busy looking after his father's sheep.    Out in the field, all by himself, David learned how to fight with and kill lions and bears that tried to kill his father's sheep.  He discovered that all that success, the skills and ability was not from him but from God.  He learned to praise, trust in and give all the credit to God.  No wonder God chose him from among his brothers to be the next king.   Soon David found himself facing the giant Goliath.  I am amazed at one thing.  David did not pray to God.  Even if he did, the bible does not show me where he at least begged God for help on this particular day.  Instead, I hear him addressing his elder brothers trying to discourage him from fighting the giant.  I hear him refusing to wear the king's armour because it was not suitable for him.  I hear him speak of how God helped him in the past to kill lions and bears.  And, I hear him addressing the giant and telling him: …."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 I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, 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 [NIV]   As it turned out, that is exactly what happened.  David slew the giant and the entire world even to this day, knows that in ancient Israel, a little boy with God's help, killed a giant using a sling.   Rather than spend time begging for help from God I believe we ought to find relevant words from scripture and declare them to our situation. Romans 8:32 teaches us that if the Father has already given us Christ, how can He also not give us all things, along with Him.  Personally, I have learnt that whenever I am faced by a giant, I need to ignore naysayers and only speak what God says about my situation.   Farai Mutsambiwa    Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!