OUR VICTORY

"Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it.  When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled."  1 Samuel 17:51

glory in the display of God's power & might!

This is the end of the well known story of how David defeated Goliath.  David knew that the battle was not about flesh and blood armies and their weapons.  It was about being in covenant with God.  David couldn't believe that "the armies of the living God" would be so intimidated by "an uncircumcised Philistine"!  Why not?  Because circumcision was the sign in their very flesh that they belonged to God who had chosen them and invited them to be in covenant with Him.  God had made promises to them.  This was real to David and he did not face Goliath alone.

a precarious place on the journey

"...You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head....For the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand."  (1 Samuel 17:45-46a;47b)  Until you've been in a battle for your life, or a loved one, or something equally precious, you can't appreciate the power of knowing we are aligned with God Himself.  It takes the threats of the enemy of our souls to stir us up and make us angry, as David was, over what he's trying to steal, kill and destroy.

We do not need to come into our battle with weak knees, unsure of the outcome, pleading with God to do something to help us.  God receives us in whatever state we come to Him, but our true position is so much stronger than we often realize when we are under attack.

The enemy roars at us through circumstances with the goal of intimidation.  He wants to do harm of course, but he also wants to drive us from God and make us afraid.  He wants to disrupt the relationship we have with God and our fellowship with Jesus.  Relationship is paramount with God.  We were not saved by Jesus so we can be religious, but so can be free and delighted children of a Perfect Father.  That relationship cannot help but stand out in a world of lost orphaned hearts seeking the significance and security they crave.

glory at the end of the day

As the world scene becomes darker the light of our joy and our peace and our love shines all the more noticeably.  But our opportunity to glorify God in His love for the world and His great compassion can be smothered when we begin to shrink back from the enemy's threats.

All I want to share today is a truth that God allowed me to see this past year.  It is simply that Jesus cut off Goliath's head for me!  I don't have to muster up my courage and face him as David did.  Jesus did it... and I am in Jesus!  He's my King.  He's my Lord.  He won and his victory is my victory too.  He cut off Goliath's head.  It is finished.  And I am free.  So are you.