DAVID, A MAN OF FAITH

Good morning and welcome to our final week of our David study. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have!

Today’s passage is possibly one of the most famous stories in the Bible. At least it is the most famous story about David. Today’s passage is about David defeating Goliath. But what I want us to focus on is the faith that David displays during this whole event.

His father has asked him to deliver some lunch to his brothers. When he gets to the battle field he sees that Goliath and the Philistines are harassing the Israelites. It’s kind of like the Philistines are trash talking the people of God, and the Israelites’ response is a bit cowardly. They are afraid to fight.

So David goes to Saul and tells him that he will fight Goliath. Saul at first refuses this offer. But David recounts to Saul God’s power in his own life, specifically when he had to fight bears and lions. These experiences grew David’s faith so that he knows first hand that God is not only faithful, but also capable of working powerfully through his people.

I love this quote by Martin Luther:

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”

It is this unshakable confidence in God that allows David to say to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel ..”

David’s faith in God’s ability was so absolute and sure that he literally staked his life on it.

This is faith.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that ” faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

This is hard for us because we want to see with our eyes. We want tangible proof, so it is hard to place our faith in someone we cannot see. But here is the thing: our faith should not be built on our own imagination or conjecture of what God is like. Our faith is built on what we know to be true. This is why we need to be in the Word. Our Bibles are a written testimony of God’s power and faithfulness. This should be fuel for our faith.

God is with you and for you. He watches over you and dwells in you. You may not be able to see God with your eyes, but you can see his power in and through your life.

Use this week to strengthen your faith by recalling God’s faithfulness and power in your life.

This week’s challenge is to make a list of all the times God’s power has been at work in your life. Think about your salvation, your daily life, and times where God’s hand of healing or protection were on you. Think of trials you have gone through and how you made it through and write it all down.

I pray that by the end of this week our faith will have grown a bit and that we are able to say with confidence that we will follow Him no matter what, because we know that with Him on our side we cannot fail.

Looking to Jesus,

WEEK 8 VIDEO:

WEEK 8 MEMORY VERSE:

WEEK 8 READING PLAN:

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Our next study: You Are Forgiven begins August 29th!!! You Are Forgiven is a book and journal COMBINED, and we can’t wait for you to see it! In the meantime, mark your calendars, invite your girlfriends, and plan to join us!

Jen Thorn

Jen Thorn grew up in Germany and then spent her teenage years in Africa, where her parents were missionaries. She moved to the United States for college and attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where she met her husband. They have been married for twenty-two years and have four children. Jen lives in the suburbs of Chicago, where her husband is the pastor of Redeemer Fellowship. Jen is passionate about theology and the connection to daily living.