The Battle is the Lord's!

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: 4.

I love playing with my grandchildren!

Play times often focus on a variety of activities, including coloring, shopping for play groceries with play shopping carts, having parties with some of our favorite Disney characters, driving cars, playing Chutes and Ladders or Candyland, building log cabins, reading stories and numerous other activities.

However, my last few play times with Hudson and Beau have centered around well-known super heroes, including Iron Man, Spiderman, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk!

Our super heroes are busy battling evil and overcoming the bad guys who try to terrorize other toy box characters!  (I know…scary)!!

Our rousing games often include our super heroes working hard to defend a zookeeper and all of the zoo animals from the dreadful Smiley Face Lantern.

As Smiley Face Lantern flies over the zoo, he attempts to steal the zoo animals, keeping families and children from visiting the animals and enjoying their time at the zoo.

This evil ploy can only be stopped when the super heroes battle the evil Smiley Face Lantern.  As Smiley Face flies over the zoo, each super hero attempts to attack Smiley Face Lantern, hoping to defeat him with his or her super hero powers!

The battle is fierce.  It often appears that Smiley Face Lantern will be successful with his evil plot as he captures each of the Super Heroes! 

The battle is so fierce that Gammy’s finger gets smashed as Iron Man attacks Smiley Face Lantern!

But our heroes cannot be defeated easily…and before you know it…Iron man has knocked Smiley Face Lantern Down.

Spider Man has trapped him in a large web!

And as Smiley Face Lantern’s gang members attempt to rescue him, Thor flies in, swinging his hammer and knocking his enemies down while Captain America flies in front of him, protecting each of the super heroes with his shield!

And just to make sure Smiley Face doesn’t get up…the Incredible Hulk runs in and crushes him with his large muscles!

The zookeeper and all his animals are safe due the super heroes winning the battle against Smiley Face Lantern!

Though our battles are pretend, the bible is full of very real battles fought in the name of the Lord.

A very real battle happened between a young, shepherd boy, David, and a Philistine giant name Goliath:

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.  He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.  His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.  His shield bearer went ahead of him…1 Samuel 17:4-7.

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle?  Choose a man and have him come down to me.  If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us”…1 Samuel 17:8-9.  

On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified…1 Samuel 17:11

Goliath’s size was intimidating, but there was one who did not look at Goliath’s size!  Instead David looked to his Lord, recognizing that his God was bigger than the giant before him.

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”…1 Samuel 17:32

Though Saul provided David with his own tunic, he quickly shed the garments because he was not use to them. 

David took his staff and chose five smooth stones from a stream and placed them in his pouch.  With his sling in his hand, David approached the Philistines.

 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…1 Samuel 17:45

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 17:46.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him…1 Samuel 17:50.

David could have looked at the giant before him and been intimidated by his size.

He could have thought…I am merely a shepherd boy…who am I to fight this giant?

Others cowered before the towering giant, but David was ready to battle!  David did not let Goliath’s stature and size intimidate he!  Instead, David saw a man that could be defeated in God’s strength.

David knew that he was not walking into the battle alone; God was with him.  His trust and faith in God allowed him to defeat Goliath.

Though David faced Goliath years ago, each of us is facing giants today.

So what do you do when you face large obstacles in your life?  Do you look at whatever “giant” is before you through the eyes of the Israelites or through eyes of David?

Do you cower before the giant that is in your path, feeling defeated immediately, or do you boldly look your giant in the eyes…and then proceed to move forward in the name and the strength of the Lord…trusting and believing that God is with you?

Let’s face it!  It’s easy to overcome the pretend villains with pretend superheroes during playtime with my grandsons!

However, we all face very real giants in our lives that can easily overwhelm us if we allow them to.  But thankfully, we do not have to face those giants alone. 

God is with us!  His word promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us.

The battles we face are real, but so is our Heavenly Father!  And I’m so thankful that whatever I am walking through, He is walking right beside me.

Dear Heavenly Father…thank you that we do not have to face each day without you.  Thank you that we do not have to face our battles alone, but that you are with us!  Help us to be more like David…trusting and believing that we serve a BIG GOD and that you are with us always!