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February 24, 2019

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I Come to You in the Name of the Lord

"Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." 1 Samuel 17:45

The secret of David's victory was what he had learned in the fields as a shepherd tending his sheep. It was there that David had been taught the wondrous resources which are in God through faith. Numerous times he had to defend and protect his sheep, and there was no one to help but God. He had slain the bear and had slain the lion. HOW? He trusted God to be his strength and a resource for all his needs. In the quietness of the hills of Bethlehem, David's patience was tried and tested, his faith stretched and strengthened, and his pride replaced with humility, and he learned to focus his life steadfastly on the Lord. One of Saul's servants says, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him" (1 Samuel 16:18).

The dominant characteristic in David's life was his unfeigned and unsurpassed devotion to God, His word, and His will. God teaches in secret the soul that He has chosen to walk before others in the glorious might of His power. Walking with God, spending time with Him in the "secret place of the Most High," David found the "key to his confidence"...the "source of His strength"...and the "certainty of His victory." He tells Saul, "The battle is the Lord's!" He went forth as an instrument in the hand of God. There was no doubt in David's mind as to the outcome, because God had gone before and prepared the way.

God often uses our very trial to make us strong in faith and to instill our hearts with renewed confidence in His faithfulness. Our extremities are occasions God places in our way to prove His sufficiency. God does not always, nor generally, act immediately when we are "pressed by the enemy" or find ourselves in some trying adversity. In Isaiah 30:15, we read, He "waits to be gracious unto us." Why? That we may more fully recognize our utter helplessness and realize our need to trust Him completely. That His gracious hand of deliverance may be seen more clearly and His merciful interceding for us be appreciated more fully. It is only through Him we have victory.

All seemed to be lost; sure defeat was imminent. When no one from Saul's army would step forward, GOD HAD HIS MAN! In God's time, David stepped forward and vindicated the glorious name of Jehovah! God is never too late, nor does He ever come with too little. "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). God gave victory to David, so that "all the assembly might know, that God saves not with sword or spear but by the word of His power." It is well for us to remember, "The battle is the Lord's," but He has given us the "armor" to engage the enemy. Girded with truth, the breastplate of righteousness. Shod with the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and THE WORD OF GOD...we go forward in confident trust in our mighty God!

© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.


This page was reprinted by permission from: http://www.litmin.org/dare.php?date=2019-02-24


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