No fear: The LORD is MY Shepherd!
This week’s devotion is based on Week 4 of the series, “David: Finding Peace when I am afraid” (WATCH HERE)
Psalm 23:1 — “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Fear often grows in the space between responsibility and uncertainty. When we feel like everything depends on us, our decisions, our strength, or our ability to figure things out fear finds fertile ground. Psalm 23 opens by addressing that fear, not with instructions or explanations, but with a relationship: “The Lord is my shepherd.”
David does not begin this psalm by describing his circumstances. He does not explain whether life is calm or chaotic, secure or uncertain. He begins by naming who God is to him. The word my is doing more work than we often notice. This is not a distant theological statement; it is deeply personal. The Lord is not merely a shepherd or the shepherd in theory. He is my shepherd. That relationship changes everything.
To call the Lord, “shepherd,” is to say that God takes responsibility for those who belong to Him. Shepherding implies provision, protection, guidance, and watchful care. A shepherd does not stand far off, shouting instructions and hoping the sheep will figure it out. A shepherd stays close. He leads. He guards. He ensures that needs are met. Because of that, David can confidently say, “I shall not want.” This is not a promise of excess, but a declaration of trust: What I truly need will not be missing when the Lord is my shepherd.
A shepherd never expects sheep to provide for themselves. If they could, they would not need a shepherd. Sheep are not designed to survive by self-sufficiency; they are designed to depend. In the same way, dependence on God is not a flaw in our faith. Rather, it is the way we were created to live. Fear often whispers that dependence is dangerous, that we must stay in control to be safe. Psalm 23 gently tells us the opposite: safety comes from being cared for, not from being in charge.
Many of us carry an unspoken pressure to “have it together.” We feel responsible for making sure everything works out, afraid of what might happen if we fall short. But Psalm 23 begins by lifting that burden. You don’t have to be the shepherd of your own life. You don’t have to see the whole path, predict every outcome, or provide everything yourself. God takes responsibility for those who belong to Him.
This is why we don’t need to be afraid. Fear loses its grip when responsibility shifts from our shoulders to God’s. When the Lord is your shepherd, you are not alone, you are not forgotten, and you are not required to save yourself. You are the sheep God loves and cares for!
Reflect: Where do you feel pressure to provide for yourself instead of trusting God? What would change about your day by embracing this truth: “The Lord is my shepherd”?
Prayer: Lord, I confess that I often try to lead myself. Teach me to trust You as my Shepherd. Help me rest in Your care and believe that You will provide what I truly need. Amen.
Run toward the battle!
This week’s devotions are based on week 3 of David: Challenged- The Battle Belongs to the Lord! (WATCH HERE)
1 Samuel 17:48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 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.
When Goliath stepped forward, Scripture tells us something easy to miss. David did not hesitate. He ran toward the battle. He did not wait for fear to calm down or for the odds to improve. David moved because his confidence was not in his ability, but in God’s faithfulness. The outcome of the battle was already decided before the stone left his sling.
David’s courage did not come from ignorance of danger. He knew exactly how real the threat was. The difference was where he focused his attention. Saul and the army of Israel fixed their eyes on the giant. David fixed his heart on the Lord. Faith, in this moment, was not the absence of fear. It was obedience in the presence of fear.
Jesus speaks to this same dynamic in John 10:10. He reminds us that the enemy’s goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. Fear is one of the enemy’s favorite tools. Fear keeps us frozen, silent, and hesitant. Jesus, however, comes to give life, and life to the full. Full life is not a life without risk. It is a life anchored in trust. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Faith often looks like stepping onto a frozen lake after the ice has been tested. You do not step forward because the ice looks thin or the wind is calm. You step forward because trust has been established. David had tested the faithfulness of God in quieter moments, tending sheep and facing predators. Those unseen small victories prepared him for this larger, public battle.
Many of us wait to feel confident before we obey. Scripture consistently flips that order. Obedience comes first. Confidence follows. God affirms his faithfulness as we follow his direction. When David ran toward the giant, he was not running alone. The Lord who had delivered him before was already present in the fight.
This battle was not just for David. David’s courage strengthened an entire nation. One person’s trust became a witness to others who were afraid. In the same way, your willingness to take a faithful step may encourage someone watching quietly from the sidelines. Calm, steady trust has a way of multiplying impact to others.
The battle you face may not look dramatic or public. It may be a difficult conversation, a hard decision, or a step of obedience you have delayed because of fear. Remember this. The battle belongs to the Lord. He does not ask you to defeat the giant alone. He asks you to trust Him enough to move forward.
Reflect: Where is fear keeping me stuck instead of faithful right now? What past experiences remind me that God has been faithful before? Who might be encouraged if I take a small step of courage based on trust in the Lord this week?
Prayer: Lord, give me courage to move forward in trust. Help me remember that the battle belongs to you, and you are always faithful. Amen.
Not by Sword or Spear
This week’s devotions are based on week 3 of David: Challenged- The Battle Belongs to the Lord! (WATCH HERE)
1 Samuel 17:45 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. 46 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. 47 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.”
David’s words to Goliath still ring with quiet confidence: “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty” (1 Sam. 17:45). This wasn’t bravado. David wasn’t minimizing the threat. Goliath was very real. David was naming the true source of victory. The battle would not be decided by size, armor, or experience, but by who the battle belonged to.
Israel’s army stood frozen because they measured the problem by human standards. David measured it by God’s faithfulness. He remembered the lion and the bear. He remembered God’s past deliverance. And that memory shaped his present courage. Faith grows not by denying fear, but by rehearsing what God has already done.
Centuries later, the Lord spoke a similar word through the prophet Zechariah: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zech. 4:6). God’s work in the world has never depended on human muscle alone. He delights in using weakness to display His strength, so that the victory is unmistakably His.
Paul echoes this truth in Ephesians 6, reminding believers that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12). Many of the battles we face—anxiety, conflict, temptation, discouragement—cannot be won with force of will or clever strategy alone. They require spiritual dependence. That’s why Paul doesn’t tell us to grab a sword, but to “put on the full armor of God” and to stand (Eph. 6:13). Standing firm is sometimes the most faithful action we can take.
Imagine a small child crossing a busy street while gripping a parent’s hand. The child isn’t safe because of strength, speed, or awareness of traffic. The child is safe because of who is holding their hand and leading them. In the same way, our security in life’s battles doesn’t come from how capable we feel, but from who is holding our hand.
The Lord invites us to be reminded that whatever challenge we are facing, he is there to fight it for us and with us. We begin to look at challenges differently. Instead of asking, “How am I going to overcome this?” we can simply pray, “Lord, this battle belongs to you. Guide me through it to victory and the glory of your name.” We don’t have to fight with our “swords” but rather let the Spirit work in and through us to gain the victory.
The battle belongs to the Lord. This is a gift of peace.
Reflect: Where am I tempted to fight this battle in my own strength? What would it look like to rely more fully on God’s Spirit?
Prayer: Mighty God, remind me that victory comes from you. Teach me to trust your power more than my plans. Amen.
When the cause is greater than the conflict
This week’s devotions are based on week 3 of David: Challenged- The Battle Belongs to the Lord! (WATCH HERE)
1 Samuel 17:32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
When David heard Goliath’s taunts, he did not see the same battlefield everyone else saw. Saul and the soldiers saw a massive opponent, overwhelming odds, and the risk of humiliation or death. David saw something different. He saw a cause that was bigger than the conflict standing in front of him.
In 1 Samuel 17:32–37, David tells Saul not to lose heart. His confidence does not come from self-belief or bravado but from remembering who God is and what God has already done. As a shepherd, David had faced lions and bears, not because he was looking for danger, but because protecting the flock mattered. Each victory became a testimony of God’s faithfulness. David’s logic is simple and deeply theological. The same Lord who delivered him before would deliver him again. The issue was not the size of Goliath but the honor of the living God.
This is what happens when the cause becomes clear. Fear no longer gets the final word. Jesus teaches the same truth in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” When God’s kingdom is the priority, circumstances lose their ability to control us. Anxiety fades when God’s cause takes center stage.
Paul echoes this mindset in Philippians 1:20–21 as he faces imprisonment and the real possibility of death. His desire is not comfort or survival but that Christ would be exalted in his body, whether by life or by death. Paul’s courage flows from clarity of purpose. When living means serving Christ and dying means being with Christ, fear has nowhere to land. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Imagine a runner midway through a grueling race. If the runner fixates on aching muscles and burning lungs, quitting feels reasonable. But when the runner fixes their eyes on the finish line, pain becomes part of the journey rather than the reason to stop. Purpose reframes suffering.
The same is true for us. Many of our challenges feel overwhelming because we are measuring them against our comfort, reputation, or sense of control. But when we ask how this moment might honor God or serve his kingdom, the conflict begins to shrink. Obedience may still be costly, but it becomes meaningful.
Outcomes are not guaranteed and struggles don’t disappear. David still had to step onto the battlefield. Paul still endured prison. But clarity of purpose gave them courage to move forward faithfully.
In your own life, the challenge you face may involve a difficult conversation, a season of uncertainty, a call to forgive, or a step of obedience that feels risky. When the cause is small, obstacles loom large. When the cause is God’s glory, even giants lose their power to intimidate.
Reflect: What cause or calling might God be inviting me to trust him with right now? How does focusing on God’s purpose change how I see this challenge?
Prayer: Lord, lift my eyes above my struggles. When fear and uncertainty press in, remind me of your purpose and your faithfulness. Help me seek your kingdom first and trust you with whatever stands in the way. Amen.
Forty Days to Peace?
This week’s devotions are based on week 3 of David: Challenged- The Battle Belongs to the Lord! (WATCH HERE)
1 Samuel 17:8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 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.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
… 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
Forty days can feel like a lifetime when you are waiting for something to change. In 1 Samuel 17:16, Goliath steps forward morning and evening for forty days, issuing the same challenge and spreading the same fear. Nothing new happens. No progress is made. The threat simply lingers. Israel is not defeated by the giant’s strength so much as by the slow erosion of courage that comes from repeated intimidation.
Scripture often uses forty days or forty nights to describe seasons like this. These are not random stretches of time. They are moments when God allows pressure to persist so that hearts are revealed and faith is refined. After exploring the land for forty days, the Israelites returned with evidence of God’s promise in their hands, yet fear ruled their conclusions. Only Caleb and Joshua trusted that the Lord who brought them that far would carry them through. The forty days exposed where confidence truly rested.
Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai, learning to rely on God’s presence rather than his own leadership strength. Elijah traveled forty days to Mount Horeb, exhausted and discouraged, only to discover that God was still at work even when the journey felt unbearable. Jonah warned Nineveh for forty days, a period that allowed repentance to take root. And Jesus himself fasted for forty days in the wilderness, facing temptation not with speed or spectacle, but with steady trust in the Word of God.
In each case, forty days marked a threshold. Something had to be learned before something could change.
That is what is happening in the Valley of Elah. For forty days, Israel is being invited to decide what will shape them more deeply. Will fear determine their future, or will trust in the living God take hold again? The waiting is not wasted. It reveals that Saul’s army has forgotten who fights for them. At the same time, God is preparing David, shaping a heart that remembers past deliverance and trusts future faithfulness.
Waiting often works this way in our lives too. We pray for quick answers, but God may be forming deeper trust. We ask for relief, but God may be strengthening perseverance. Prolonged uncertainty can feel like abandonment, yet Scripture shows that it is often the very place where faith grows roots.
When challenges stretch on longer than expected, we are tempted to assume God is silent or distant. But forty days reminds us that God is present in the waiting. He is exposing false confidences, loosening fear’s grip, and preparing us for a faith that can stand when the moment finally arrives.
The battle may not be resolved immediately, but trust can be formed long before the victory is seen.
Reflect: What has this “forty-day” season revealed about my trust in God?
How can I remain faithful even when answers are slow to come?
Prayer: Faithful God, you see the seasons of waiting that test our patience and expose our fears. Forgive us for assuming delay means absence. Teach us to trust you in the long stretches, to listen for your voice, and to believe that you are shaping us even when change feels slow. Strengthen our faith as we wait on you. Amen.