Daily Devotions
And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” … 1 Samuel 17:37a
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
With a group of young people, I once worked through the text of 1 Samuel 17.
As we studied the story of David and Goliath, I thought this is a story which touches my reality only with the greatest of difficulty.
That’s what I thought then. I know differently today.
Now I know that in life we face many Goliaths. They come to us in the form of uncertainties, fears and lies, which hurt God’s people and try to set aside the promises of God. All these Goliaths are consequences of sin, which entered the world through Adam and have been passed on to everybody (see Romans 5:12).
Many times we, like Israel, think we have to face these giant problems using our own strength. Doing so is almost as futile as it would have been for an Israelite to take down Goliath. Reason and common sense tell us we have already lost.
What we need at such moments is a faith that trusts God for deliverance.
Those who were there to watch the original David-Goliath battle might have thought the young shepherd was their Savior. David wasn’t. He was only the tool the Lord used to rescue His people. The ultimate power which brought Goliath down belonged not to David or his shepherd’s slingshot. Goliath was brought down by God.
Things aren’t much different today.
Looking at us, God sees that due to our sinful nature we are unable to fight alone against the frightening Goliaths in our lives. He knows our deliverance will be by His hand. It is for that purpose He sent His Son to be our Rescuer.
In Jesus, Satan is defeated and salvation is bestowed.
This leads me to ask is there a Goliath invading your life right now? Do you want to beat him?
If you answer “yes” to both questions, simply start by allowing the Holy Spirit to put your faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus has already beaten humanity’s enemies, and He can do the same with your personal opponents.
Because of Jesus we can have faith that assures us we will always be sheltered in His tender love and mercy. There we will find safety — a safety that will keep us always.
THE PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus Christ, my Savior. By virtue of His sacrifice, no Goliath can frighten and chase me away from You. Grant me the grace to know, dear Father, that You shall always be my Shield and Deliverer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Biography of Author: The author of today’s international devotion, Jeremiah Meyer, is a student at Concordia Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Meyer served two years as a volunteer for Lutheran Hour Ministries through an internship program LHM has with this seminary. During this time he performed different tasks; these included telephone services, delivery of materials, and contact visits. Established in Buenos Aires in 1947, LHM-Argentina (known in-country as Fundacion Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones) connects with Latin American communities in many ways. Using LHM’s Equipping the Saints (ETS) resources, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC), Project JOEL (a youth outreach program), print media, radio broadcasts, text messaging, and the Internet, this ministry center shares the Gospel in this country of 41 million people. It also works closely with the Lutheran Church of Argentina (IELA) and its seminary and congregations via a joint mission program.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.