The Paw of the Lion
Posted by Dion Todd February 21st, 2019 7,412 Views 0 Comments
Your servant struck both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. David said, 'Yahweh who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.' 1 Samuel 17:36 WEB
Goliath must have been a fearful sight to behold when he walked out onto the battlefield. He was over nine feet tall, and his bronze armor and weapons alone weighed one hundred and seventy-five pounds. Young David was certainly out of his weight class. Goliath carried a sword and a huge spear, while an armor bearer carried a huge rectangular shield in front of him. He would have been the historical equivalent of a modern day tank.
The two armies faced each other and waited. Goliath would walk out onto the battlefield twice a day, first in the morning, then in the evening, and he would challenge anyone in Israel to fight him. King Saul, who was head and shoulders above everyone else, and the rest of the Israelite army, cowered from his terrifying challenge for forty days.
David's three brothers were serving in the military, and his father sent young David to carry them food and supplies. When he arrived, Goliath walked out onto the battlefield and taunted them all again, and David heard it. David had been anointed by God years before by Samuel. While tending his father's sheep, he had fought lions and bears, and won. The Holy Spirit prompted David, and he accepted Goliath's challenge.
There are so many lessons in this story, but one is this: David, when facing the worst thing that he had ever faced, took the time to remember what God had already done for him. 'God has delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.' He stayed positive, and he prophesied his own future. David told Goliath: 'Today I will strike you down, and take your head from you.' Then he did.
If you are facing some bad things now, remember what God has already done for you in the past. Say it. Declare it, and say nothing negative about the situation. God, You have delivered me in the past, and I know that You will deliver me from this as well! You have got this and I choose to trust in You today. I will overcome.
Prayer: Heavenly Father please forgive me for my lack of trust and for giving into fear when I should have taken a stand. Now here I stand and I choose to put my trust in You today. Deliver me from my enemies, strengthen me to fight this battle, and share Your infinite knowledge with me so that I can overcome this, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
Note: Ladies, today is Thankful Thursday at the "Ladies in Distress" group (our RHM women's group)! You are welcome to join in our weekly sharing of thankfulness for the Lord's presences and any blessings you may have experienced, big or small! "Ladies in Distress" is a private group, so if you have any problems joining, just post anywhere and we will help you :). Here is the link: Ladies in Distress
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