It Starts Small

The Second: The Lord will give us what we need, as we look to Him as the true Conqueror.

The Third: Victory may not happen in the way we expect it so that people will know it is the Lord.

I love how David declares that ALL the people will know God brought the victory. All – the Israelites and Philistines and anyone else who was standing on the sidelines. This includes us!

Imagine how we would write this epic showdown. Our hero, with his handsome looks, big muscles, wearing armor and carrying a sword. Faces down the giant and they go head-to-head in a fierce battle. Just when we think the giant is about to win, David gives him a death blow. I mean that is how we envision battle.

Imagine what the Israelites had running through their heads. This teenager of a boy, walking out in his sheep-hearding get up, with a pouch and a sling shot. He stops and picks up stones. No aormor. No sword. I wonder how many ran from the battle that day. I wonder how many were in sheer terror. How many stood there in disbelief that this is who Saul was sending out to what? Defeat a giant? I wonder how many were on their faces praying.

When David offered to fight Goliath, Saul prepared him with earthly wisdom. He gave him his armor, helmet, and sword. But David rebuked him, instead choosing to use what could only be considered foolish in the eyes of the world. Why would he do that? For one, the armor was too big, but I also believe David knew something Saul did not.

The people expected armor and a sword. If David had chosen to fight in that manner, the armor and sword might have been credited with his safety…and his victory. So there David was. With only a slingshot, staff, stones, and the presence of the Lord.

And that day, everyone…everyone…knew that it wasn’t a small shepherd boy who rescued his people, but the Lord.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
⁹ “For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

The battle is not truly ours, but the Lord’s.
The Lord never loses and victory may not be what we think it should be.

“This is the Lord’s battle, and He will give you to us!” 1 Samuel 17:47

The Lord loves his people. He loves you and me! He will not allow evil to prevail forever. Trust the Lord to do what He says and wait with expectation to see all that He is going to do in His perfect timing.

I was so certain that the Lord was going to turn my ex-husband around. He was going to bring him to repentance, and through repentance forgiveness was going to flourish. We would be reconciled and our testimony would be shared with all who would listen and the glory of God would be revealed.

Sadly, that is not what took place. My ex-husband had a hardened heart, sought divorce and destroyed any opportunity for the Lord, who can do anything, to reconcile and heal. To say I was devastated is an understatement. I could envision the future and in that moment I held those papers in my hand, the future was completely destroyed.

It took me many months to realize, while the victory was not as I thought it would be, the true victory was God’s deliverance in my own life. There is not a testimony of a reconciled and healed marriage, but there is testimony of a reconciliation between Him and I. There’s testimony of the power of the Lord, my God, transforming decades of hurt, pain and suffering into peace and joy. God’s ways are way above us and He sees what we cannot see and hears conversations we were not apart of. He knew that without two people in full repentance and surrender to Him, He would never be given the opportunity to work within that marriage.

SO I believe he turned us over to the desires of our hearts. I do not know what my ex-husband was seeking, but it was made clear it was not God. God on the other hand, turned me over to Himself. Evil holds the victory over my ex-husband, but it is God who holds the victory over me! Just because it did not go the way I wanted, does not mean God was not there. It just means it was done His way and there was a reason for why it went the way it did. I just have to put my hope in Him. My trust is in Him!