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.