July 22


You come to me with a sword, 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. 1 Samuel 17:45


David had never seen the heavenly hosts of angels. He had known the lonely work of a shepherd in the hills of Judea. He had never used formidable weapons like the sword and the spear. David was overwhelmingly outclassed in terms of his weaponry, but he did not look on Goliath’s weapons, but on the greatness of God. To David, Goliath seemed small and powerless. If Goliath could have seen God, he would have immediately turned and fled! The problems we face are real, and the spirit of the enemy is mocking and defiant, but we must get the right perspective. There is no enemy that can ultimately overcome the person who trusts in God. With God on our side, the most awful of enemies must ultimately fall at the name of Jesus. If all the nuclear arsenals of the most powerful nations were directed at the Church, they would fail, because God is with His people. Sometimes, compared with the apparent strength of our enemy, the name of Jesus may seem to us as powerless as a slip of paper or a whisper on the breeze. Therein lies the paradox: He holds the universe in the palm of His hands, and all His enemies will bow before Him at even the whisper of His name.