The Faith to Stand

By Brooke Keith

“The hand I have been dealt is too big for me.”

I imagine that’s the first thought that ran through the mind of a young David. “For this task, I am too small.” And he was. Compared to Goliath, he was.

I imagine that David was filled with fear as he prepared to face the giant. If you close your eyes for a moment, you can almost hear the sounds . . . the armor of grown men shaking, the heart inside David’s chest pounding until it filled up his ears, the laughter of a man who looked down on this tiny, unworthy opponent.

Can you imagine the combination of these sounds? How scary it must have been to be David in that moment. Like me, you probably can’t imagine having the strength it took to stand in David’s sandals. But David was such a special case, wasn’t he?

No. The answer is no. David was just a little child. He came equipped with nothing more than a toy so common to the likes of our children’s toy boxes that each of us can remember owning one. There was nothing extraordinary about David . . . at least, nothing that we could see.

What made David so special was God’s presence. What made David so capable of bringing down the solider no one could claim had nothing to do with brut strength. It was merely a word that came from above.

“The battle isn’t yours.” said God. (2 Chronicles 20:15) It’s what gave David the courage to do what God had asked. For if David had stood there with nothing on his side but a stone, I don’t think he could have done it. I don’t think he could have carried on.

There comes a time in every life when we are given the choice to flee or stand. We are given the opportunity to stick around in the midst of something so much bigger than us and patiently wait on God’s saving grace.

When troubles come in life, will we stick them out to see the giant fall? Will we put our hope in the God of David, the one who assures us that even though the swords fly and the cannons fire, the battle is not our own?

When it comes to the wars we face, anyone can walk away. It takes no courage to walk away. It’s a lot less painful to turn our backs and leave the giant laughing. It takes a courageous heart to fight the good fight, courage that we may not have. But if we listen closely to our Father, we will find a well of strength we can draw from anytime we need a drink. We will discover a courage that is freely lent to all who dare to say “I cannot do this alone.”

“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Luke 11:19 KJV

God invites us today to join the good fight, not assuring us that the war will be easy but promising us that if we hide ourselves in Him He will fight the battle for us and let us share in the victory. In the battle, we will see a lot of disheartening things. We will be tempted so many times to say “I give up.” And if the courage to fight flees from us, and it will, He only asks us to remember one thing. He doesn’t ask us for the courage to fight . . . He simply asks us for the faith to stand.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 NIV

Daily Devotion

The Faith to Stand

By Brooke Keith

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