FACING THE GIANTS

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

May Your unfailing love come to me, Lord, Your salvation, according to Your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in Your word.

Never take Your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in Your laws. I will always obey Your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out Your precepts. I will speak of Your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in Your commands because I love them. I reach out for Your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on Your decrees.

Psalm 119:41-48

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How do you deal with adversity in life? You know, the issues that rise up like giants to challenge you and shake the foundation of your world.

Most people try and deal with these matters on their own. After all, we are prideful people who think we can work out all of our problems without assistance. We think we have the strength to meet our trials head on and persevere through their resolution.

Frankly, this approach has never worked for me although the Lord has always allowed me to try. I’m convinced He did so to show me just how much I needed Him.

You see, we don’t have to face the giants of our lives alone. God is ever ready to help us. This message is loud and clear in the following passage from the 119th Psalm:

May Your unfailing love come to me, Lord, Your salvation, according to Your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in Your word.

Never take Your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in Your laws. I will always obey Your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out Your precepts. I will speak of Your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in Your commands because I love them. I reach out for Your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on Your decrees.

Look at the first verse because it is key:

May Your unfailing love come to me, Lord, Your salvation, according to Your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in Your word.

You see, once you have the unfailing love of the Lord in your heart and you have fully embraced His salvation promise, then and only then can you face the giants in your life without fear; those people or things that try to bring you down will do so in vain.

Truly as Paul shared, “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” (Romans 8:31) Nothing in life is bigger than God, plain and simple. And there is nothing beyond the works of His almighty hands. How soon we forget these promises and assurances the Lord has given us when problems come.

Indeed, when you have the Lord on your side, you can do all things, not by your strength but rather through His strength working in and through you. You don’t deal with your circumstances in the spirit of the world but rather in the Holy Word and Spirit of the Lord in whom you place your faith and trust. You gain a confidence that allows you to look life’s difficulties in the eye and know you are more than a conqueror over them through the One who loves you (Romans 8:37). And as you remain obedient and faithful to the Lord and His holy Word, then you walk this world in freedom and liberation, unafraid to speak and act boldly in the name of the Lord, never allowing yourself to be put to shame because you are standing firm on the foundation of God’s word.

And in the end, the courageous self-assurance that you have in the Lord draws you to love Him and His guidance. You crave His presence and instruction so much that you hunger and thirst for His righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and when you do, you find yourself filled as the promise of Jesus is accomplished.

Friends, with the Lord on our side, we need never be afraid. And as we face life’s troubles, let us emulate the actions and attitude of the small shepherd boy David who came out of the fields and away from his flock to face the mighty Philistine giant, Goliath.

What did David say when facing his giant?

“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

Of course, we know how the story ends but note that David’s victory did not come by his hands. No, David came in the name of the Lord who worked in and through him to conquer Goliath.

Will you allow the Lord to help you face and defeat the giants in your life today?

He’s only a prayer away.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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