What The Lord Has Provided
As a young teenage boy, David showed a deep understanding of God's strength
as he prepared to fight Goliath. "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of
the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this
Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:37). The understanding that God was fighting the
battle allowed David to confidently approach Goliath with nothing more than
a sling and a few stones. "This day the Lord will hand you over to me." (1
Samuel 17:46).
After many years of being pursued by a jealous king, David demonstrated his
belief that every victory he enjoyed came as a direct result of God's hand.
The Amalekites had just raided the village where David and his men had been
living. Under God's promise of victory, David set off with six hundred men
to battle the enemy and take back their stolen possessions; but two hundred
of the men were too tired to join the fight. After the victorious battle,
the four hundred who fought wanted to exclude the two hundred who stayed
behind: "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them
the plunder we recovered." (1 Samuel 30:22). But David reminded them who
really won the battle.
1 Samuel 30:23
"No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us.
He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us."
David understood it wouldn't have mattered whether four hundred or forty,
or even four, had gone into battle - it wouldn't have mattered whether the
men were skilled or unskilled - the battle would have been won. The battle
was won because of God's promise and His provision, not because of the
men's ability.
As we see the battle approaching, we must draw nearer to God and place all
our trust in Him for the results. If the battle appears to be a failure,
we must trust that God is in control and working toward His good and
perfect plan. And if the battle appears to be victorious, we must not
allow our pride to take credit for the work God has done.
God owns ALL and provides ALL. He owns our possessions, our family, our
relationships, and our ministries. He "owns" our abilities as well as our
lack - our successes as well as our failures. As we come through our next
battle - in fact, even in the midst of the battle - let's return the
ownership and give Him all the glory. We must never attempt to control or
hold tight to what the Lord has provided.