God’s Battle and God’s Victory

Scripture:

“‘Come on,’ said the Philistine. ‘I’ll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I’ll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice.’David answered, ‘You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he’s handing you to us on a platter!’ That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.” 1 Samuel 17:44-49 (MSG)

Perspective:

Many times, we face challenges in life all alone. Maybe it is a problem with a family member, a financial catastrophe, or a health diagnosis that leaves us feeling as if we are the minority. As we fight through these battles, our weaponry is limited by our own experience and our limited knowledge. However, it all changes when we realize that in the battles we fight, we are not alone.

If you are going into battle, you want to be prepared. You want to have the right tools to be able to fight the enemy. When David faced Goliath, he was not armed in the latest military gear, nor did he have a sea of people behind him offering protection. David has something more important and valuable than those tools. He had God on his side. In the core of his being, David believed God was with him and that God would deliver the whole nation from the Philistines. He understood one key concept. If it is God’s battle, then it is God’s victory. Yet, this is a concept that we can easily forget. Many times, we spend sleepless nights worrying over the battles we face in life. We try to figure out how to fight the battle or solve the problem. Yes, they are legitimate situations within difficult circumstances. But instead of turning it over to God, we can try to fight until we are so depleted that we have nothing left. Interestingly, God’s means of deliverance are many times different than our means of deliverance. When we give our battles to God, he is able to provide supernatural solutions that we could not have come up with on our own. To kill a giant, you probably need more than a sling and a stone. But, that is all David had, and the thing that was already in his hand is what God used to bring deliverance. When we give our battles to God, then we are also giving our victories to Him. The battles we face in life are an opportunity to spread God’s fame. So, next time you face a battle, remember that the battle belongs to God, and He can bring about deliverance in your situation.