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.
Faith over Fear
1 Samuel 17:16 & 24 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. … 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.
Fear rarely announces itself loudly at first. It works quietly, persistently, and patiently. In 1 Samuel 17, Goliath does not rush Israel’s camp in a single overwhelming attack. Instead, he steps forward every day, morning and evening, repeating the same challenge. Over time, his words do what his weapons never could. They wear down courage. They drain hope. They convince God’s people that the battle is already lost.
Scripture tells us that when the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran from him in great fear. This fear was not born in a moment. It grew over days of listening, imagining, and rehearsing the threat. Fear, when allowed to linger, reshapes how we see reality. The giant appears larger. God’s promises feel smaller. Possibility narrows until retreat seems like the only reasonable option.
This pattern is not unique to David’s day. Numbers 13 describes a similar scene when Israel returned from exploring the Promised Land. The land was good. God’s promise was clear. Yet fear prevailed. Ten spies focused on what they saw instead of what God had said, and their report spread anxiety through the camp. Fear multiplied as it was shared. Faith, once strong, began to collapse under the weight of imagined defeat.
Fear still works this way. It whispers, “This will never change.” It insists, “You are not strong enough.” It warns, “The risk is too great.” Over time, these messages steal joy, peace, and trust. Jesus names this work clearly when he says the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Fear does not simply make us cautious. Left unchecked, it robs us of the life God intends.
Yet Scripture does not deny fear’s presence. Instead, it gives us a response. “When I am afraid, I will trust in you,” (Psalm 56:3) the psalmist writes. Not if, but when. Fear is acknowledged, not dismissed. But it does not get the final word. Trust does.
David enters the story as a quiet contrast to a frightened army. He does not deny the danger. He simply refuses to let fear define reality. Where others see a giant, David sees a God who has been faithful before. His confidence is not rooted in self-belief but in memory. The Lord who delivered him from the lion and the bear will deliver him again.
Faith grows when we remember who God has already shown himself to be. Fear grows when we forget.
Paul reminds Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7) that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline. That spirit does not eliminate fear instantly, but it reshapes how we face it. We do not pretend fear is gone. We bring it honestly before God and choose trust anyway.
When fear grows louder than faith, the invitation is not to be braver, but to look again. Look at God’s promises. Look at his past faithfulness. Look at the One who stands with you. The battle does not belong to fear. It belongs to the Lord.
Reflect: What fears have been repeating themselves in your thoughts lately, and how might they be shaping the way you see your situation rather than the way God sees it?
Prayer: Gracious Lord, you see the fears that rise in our hearts and the ways they quietly wear us down. Forgive us for the times we have focused more on the size of the challenge than on your faithfulness. Thank you for being a God who has delivered your people again and again, and who stands with us even when fear feels overwhelming. Help us to trust you when we are afraid, to remember your past faithfulness, and to take our next step in confidence that the battle belongs to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Regain peace when you lose it!
Devotions for Week 2: David: Finding Peace When We Are Troubled (WATCH HERE)
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
In Colossians 3 Paul gives us a simple yet searching template for living with peace. These verses do not promise a life without trouble, but they do show us how to recognize when our hearts have drifted and how to return to a place of rest in Christ.
Often we notice our lack of peace before we understand its cause. Anxiety rises, irritation lingers, joy feels distant. These moments are invitations to pause and ask honest questions. When my heart is not at peace, the first question is this: Who or what is ruling my heart in this moment? Something always is. It may be fear of the future, the opinions of others, unmet expectations, or the desire to control outcomes. Jesus says in John 14:27, “My peace I give you.” But his peace rules only when he rules. If peace is missing, it may be because something else has taken the seat of authority in my heart.
The second question follows closely. What word of God and promise of God is not dwelling in me? Paul urges believers to let the message of Christ dwell in them richly. A heart empty of truth will quickly be filled with lies. When we forget God’s promises, we begin to rehearse worst case scenarios instead. Psalm 119:165 tells us that great peace belongs to those who love God’s law. Peace grows where truth is allowed to live abundantly. Singing psalms and hymns is not just worship. It is a way of reminding our souls of what is true when emotions are unreliable.
The third question is perhaps the most confronting. Am I living to the glory of God or myself? Paul brings everything into focus with verse 17. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. A self-centered life will always be restless. When life revolves around my comfort, my success, or my recognition, peace becomes fragile. But when my aim is God’s glory, even difficult circumstances can coexist with deep calm. Jesus himself lived this way, and Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Paul weaves gratitude through all three verses. Thankfulness is both a fruit and a guard of peace. It shifts our attention from what is lacking to who is present. It anchors us again in grace. When peace is missing, gratitude often follows close behind.
These verses invite us into a daily practice. Notice the unrest. Ask the questions. Recenter on Christ. Peace returns not because life changes, but because our hearts realign under the loving rule of Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, let your love, grace and peace always fill my heart. AMEN.