Facing Giants With Unshakable Faith

The Battle Is the Lord’s

Dear Friends, we all face giants, don’t we? Circumstances that tower over us, mocking our weakness, daring us to cower. In 1 Samuel 17:32–33, 37, 40–51, young David steps forward while seasoned soldiers tremble. Saul looks at the lad and says, “You are not able to go against this Philistine… you are only a young man.” But David’s confidence isn’t in his size or experience—it’s in the living God.

David remembers: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (v37). He refuses Saul’s heavy armour, chooses five smooth stones from the stream, and runs towards Goliath declaring, “You come against me with sword and spear… but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty… This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands… and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel” (vv45–46). One stone, perfectly aimed, and the giant falls. The battle is won before the armies even clash.

What strikes me most is David’s certainty: the battle belongs to the Lord. He doesn’t trust in his own skill (though he had plenty from years protecting sheep), nor in borrowed armour. He trusts in the God who had already proven faithful. And when we face our own Goliaths—illness, fear, opposition, grief—we are invited to do the same: recall God’s past deliverance, refuse the world’s heavy solutions, and step forward in simple, bold faith.

Today, pause and name your giant. Then lift your eyes to the God who has never lost a battle.

Point to Ponder: The size of the giant is irrelevant when the battle belongs to the Lord.

Verse to Remember: “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:47 NIVUK)

Question to Consider: What “giant” are you facing right now, and how might remembering God’s past faithfulness help you run towards it in His name rather than retreat?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church