[One-Verse Meditation]

1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV) David said to the Philistine, “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.”

[Meditation]

David’s courageous declaration moved Saul’s heart, and at last, David goes out to the battlefield. Seeing the boy, Goliath was filled with contempt. “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” he sneered, cursing him.

To Goliath’s cry, “Come here to me,” David stands his ground and proclaims: “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!” And he adds, “for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

What was the reason David could be so confident before the giant he had to crane his neck to see? It was because his daily life was ‘God’s salvation’ itself. He remembered with his whole body the touch of God’s hand that had delivered him from the paws of the lion and the bear.

This is the faith of a saint. This faith does not stop at mere knowledge; it is the natural response of one who has experienced God. To borrow a phrase from Marva Dawn:

“My ability to have faith or to live faithfully doesn’t come from my own strength. It’s only possible because God Himself is faithful.”

That is why the Lord allows us to experience His salvation in our lives every day—so that we might live by that faith.

[Prayer]

Lord, I look forward to You today, because I know I will experience Your salvation. Because today is the day You will set me in a place of faith, I begin this morning with joy and thanksgiving. Amen.
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[Daily Meditation]

1 Samuel 17:31-49