“Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go , and the LORD be with thee.”–1 Sam.17:36-37
We all know of battles we have already fought, but there are battles yet to be fought–some we are aware of and some we know nothing about. Thankfully the things we’ve already engaged will help us with what we are yet to experience. The story of David is a good example of this.Of this story, David Guzik wrote:
Saul tried to discourage David. He told him, “You are not able” and “You are but a youth.” Saul thought David was disqualified because of his age, size, and inexperience. Saul looked at the battle purely in natural, outward terms. By the measure of what man could see, there was no way David could win. By the measure of what God saw, there was no way David could lose.
David explained to Saul that he could fight Goliath because he had fought fearsome beasts before. He explained, “Your servant has killed both lion and bear.” God prepared David for this exact battle months before this, when David was a unknown shepherd. A lion attacked the lambs and David fought the lion. A bear came
against the sheep and David battled the bear. All along, God prepared David to fight Goliath.
This is generally God’s pattern for preparation. He calls us to be faithful right where we are and then uses our faithfulness to accomplish greater things. If David ran scared at the lion or the bear, he would never have been ready to fight Goliath now. But he was faithful then, so he will be faithful now.
David became even more bold and said, “Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them.” Notice how David increased in faith and boldness as the story progressed.
– First he said someone should fight Goliath for a righteous cause (1 Samuel 17:26, 29). – Then he said he would fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17:32).- Now he said that he would kill Goliath.
David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” As a shepherd facing lions and bears, David had no idea he was being trained to fight a giant. In the midst of our preparation we rarely see how God will use it. As he readied to fight Goliath, David could look back and know that the same God who delivered him before would also deliver him now. David knew that God’s help in times past is a prophecy of His help in the future.”
While none of us know what we might have to face before the day is over, we can rest assured that God has been getting us ready for it. The fierce fights of yesterday will help us face our future foes. Without us ever realizing it, we’ve been in training for this moment. He who has helped us will help us!
