Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth
(1 Samuel 17:49).
THEME
FAITH
Frustrated with the Queen, Lewis Carroll's Alice exclaimed, "There's no use trying . . . one CAN'T believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
Believing the impossible, as the Queen said, does take practice; few achieve trust proficiency. Friends playing baseball lure us from the piano bench. Ridicule from peers makes us abandon our goal. The people of David's day were trustbusters. They belittled young David's belief in the unbelievable. They couldn't comprehend the incredible--that a mere child could kill a monster of a man.
Doubt did not deter David, and his faith marked him as a man after God's own heart. Faith means that we accept who God is, what He has done, and what He will do. God delights in those who practice faith regardless of circumstances.
Faith doesn't look to see how many follow when it walks up the hill, breaks through the crowd, rushes to the bloody beam, and proclaims, "He is the Christ."
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APR 29
1 SAMUEL 17:32-54
"I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, . . . whom you have defied" (1 Samuel 17:45).
I grew up believing that David accomplished his spectacular victory over the giant Goliath only through God's special help. But not long ago I read a report by two "experts" who said their study of 1 Samuel 17 and their knowledge of science led them to conclude that Goliath was weak and half-blind. They attributed his great size to a glandular disease called gigantism and claimed that he was especially vulnerable to the stone from David's sling because of tunnel vision caused by a brain tumor.
The author of 1 Samuel did not present Goliath as a weakling. He said Goliath wore armor that weighed about 125 pounds and wielded a spear with an iron point that weighed about 15 pounds. A person with gigantism walks with difficulty and isn't as strong as a small, healthy man, so if Goliath had been a victim of this disease he would have had a hard time carrying himself, much less the additional weight of the armor. Furthermore, if Goliath hadn't been a first-class warrior he would not have frightened the Israelites, nor would the Philistines have made him their champion. Indeed, without special help from God, David could not have killed Goliath. And without faith in God, David would not have dared to confront the giant.
As the Lord's followers, we are not involved in physical battles with human giants, but we are engaged in a war with Satan, a supernatural being far more powerful than Goliath. But we can have faith; God is all-powerful. He who helped David kill the giant can help us defeat the devil.
--H.V.L.
We may face situations beyond our reserves, but never beyond God's resources.
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APR 30
HEBREWS 11:1-12
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Songwriter Oscar Eliason wrote, "Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can't tunnel through?" He responded to these questions by saying, "God specializes in things thought impossible."
Every Christian faces obstacles along life's pathway, and walking in God's will doesn't guarantee that our way will be easy. But no matter how difficult, we can trust God and go forward in faith.
At the entrance to a local hospital is an automatic gate designed to rise when a car activates a hidden sensor near the entrance. When I drive up the ramp toward the gate, it remains down, blocking the entrance. But as I get closer, the arm swings up, allowing me to proceed. If I were to park my car a few yards from the entrance, the gate would stay closed. Only when I move forward does it open.
Someone said, "If God built a bridge a yard ahead, it could not be a bridge of faith." It's the first step into the unseen that proves we have faith. Abraham, for example, "went out, not knowing where he was going" (Heb. 11:8). He obeyed God and relied on Him to clear the path.
When we walk in obedience to the Lord and come upon a closed gate, we can confidently take the next step of faith. As we move forward we will see God open the way.
--P.R.V.
Faith is the gate between our peril and God's power.
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MAY 01
TITUS 1
I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking (Titus 1:5).
Golf teaches us, among other things, that we can't always take the easy way out of a difficult situation. When a ball rolls off the fairway and into the rough, the golfer isn't permitted to pick it up and place it where it will be easier to play. He must hit the ball from the rough.
Young Titus found himself "in the rough." He had been left in Crete, charged with the task of building up the Lord's work there. But he encountered problems. The Cretans were generally deceitful, immoral, and lazy, and this spirit had invaded the churches. Problem people were causing division. Paul realized that his friend needed encouragement, so he wrote to him. He began his letter by saying, in essence, "Yes, things are bad in Crete. But that's exactly why I left you there. God can use you to bring about great and necessary changes." Titus listened, and he succeeded. Although the Bible doesn't record the results of this encouraging letter from Paul, archeologists have found the remains of stately churches that had the name "Titus" inscribed on their cornerstones.
Whenever we are in a difficult place, we don't help ourselves by looking for the easy way out. Instead, by exercising our faith in God and facing the challenge, we can battle our way through the problem. We'll become better people, and we'll discover that God can make us victorious.
--H.V.L.
The greater the problem, the greater our opportunity to tap God's power.
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MAY 02
EPHESIANS 5:8-17
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days (Hebrews 11:30).
As a sculptor showed a visitor some marble figures displayed in his studio, an unusual sculpture caught the guest's attention. It had two peculiar features. Where the statue's face normally would have been, the sculptor had chiseled a covering of hair, and on both feet were wings. "What is the name of this one?" asked the visitor. "Opportunity," the artist answered. "Why is its face hidden?" "Because," said the craftsman, "we seldom know opportunity when he comes to us." "And why does he have wings on his feet?" "Because he is soon gone, and once gone, he cannot be overtaken."
The apostle Paul spoke of the quickly passing nature of opportunity in Ephesians 5:16. The word TIME used in this verse can also be translated "opportunity"--suggesting occasions for accomplishing high and noble purposes. But what are these opportunities? They are brief moments of personal contact--the passing incident, the turn of a conversation, or the "chance" meeting of an old acquaintance. Such times present golden opportunities for caring, for witnessing, for eternal good. Alexander MacLaren, the noted Baptist preacher from England, said, "Every moment of life is granted us for one purpose: becoming like our dear Lord. That ultimate, all-embracing end is reached through a multitude of near and intermediate ones."
Like the young shepherd David, when our faith is strong we will have the wisdom and courage to see every obstacle as an opportunity.
--P.R.V.
To believe only possibilities, is not faith, but mere Philosophy.
--Sir Thomas Browne
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MAY 03
JAMES 1:1-4
We ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your . . . faith in all your persecutions (2 Thessalonians 1:4).
A University of Michigan microbiologist tells his students that the human body is made up of ten trillion cells, which are home to some 100 trillion bacteria. He supports this claim by citing studies conducted by University of Pennsylvania researchers who once estimated that a dime-sized patch of skin may hold up to two million bacteria.
The presence of all those little critters might seem to be an overwhelming threat to our health. But scientists who have come to understand and appreciate the role of bacteria say that we would actually be sicker without them than we are with them. They apparently help ward off other bacteria that cause diseases.
This is not an argument for careless personal hygiene. But it is an interesting parallel to the setting in which Christians are called to live. Contrary to what we might think, we can actually benefit from a hostile environment.
God calls His children to show patience, love, and faith in a world polluted by sin and opposed to righteousness. Many of the troubles we encounter can help us avoid greater problems of independence, self-sufficiency, and pride that set in so quickly when all goes smoothly. The problems in our lives can help us to realize the need for dependence on the Lord and faith in His Word. Obstacles can contribute to our health if we'll see them as tests of our faith and as opportunities to develop endurance. Until Jesus comes, we can be healthier with them than without them.
--M.R.D.II
The difficulties of life are intended to make us better--not bitter.
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MAY 04
JAMES 2:14-26
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:20).
In nature, lightning and thunder present a striking illustration of the relationship between faith and works. When lightning flashes across the sky, we know that the roar of thunder will follow. Without lightning, there would be no thunder, because the one is the cause of the other. Likewise, good works always accompany saving faith, because one causes the other.
We must keep before us the clear truth that we are saved by grace and grace alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." But many believers who glibly quote this passage ignore the verse that follows: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (v. 10). In the same manner that thunder contributes nothing to lightning, good works add nothing to our salvation. Rather, they are the "sound" of faith and will follow every genuine conversion experience. The one without the other is not the real thing.
Genuine faith is always evident by what follows--a life of good works.
--R.W.D.
Faith without works is presumptuous; faith with works is precious.
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MAY 05
PSALM 16
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust
(Psalm 16:1).
Some people touring a mint where coins are made came to the smelting area. As they stood before the caldrons filled with molten metal, the tour guide explained that if a person were to dip his hand into water and then have someone pour the hot liquid over his hand, he would neither be injured nor feel any pain. Picking out one couple, he asked if they would like to prove what he had just said. "No, thank you," the husband quickly said. "I'll take your word for it." But his wife responded eagerly. "Sure, I'll give it a try." Matching action to her words, she thrust her hand into a bucket of water and then held it out as the molten metal was poured over it. The hot liquid rolled off harmlessly just as the guide had said it would. The host turned to the husband and remarked, "Sir, you claimed to believe what I said. But your wife truly trusted."
When it comes to the promises in the Bible, many Christians react like the husband. They claim to believe them, but they don't really trust God. Consequently, they never experience them firsthand. They live a kind of second-hand Christianity--always relying on someone else's experiences with God to give validity to their beliefs. In Psalm 16, David spoke of having a goodly heritage, a glad heart, stability, hope, and the assurance of "pleasures forevermore." He knew the meaning of faith, and he proved it as a young boy when he dared to face the giant Goliath.
If we only claim to believe God's promises but never act on them, we will miss out on His marvelous blessings.
