Remembering the Lion and the Bear

"And 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.' And Saul said to David, 'Go, and may the Lord be with you'"
(1 Samuel 17:37)

"Remembering" is without a doubt one of the most essential elements of victory in Christian living, beloved! Yet sadly it remains one of the least sought after truths in our lives.

David as a youth stands as a shining example of just how important this need is. Sent into the valley of Elah to take lunch to his brothers serving as warriors in the army of Israel, David heard the vile taunts of the Philistine giant, Goliath, as he slandered the soldiers of Israel and Israel's God. When David volunteered to fight Goliath, the king told him that he was no match for the Philistine champion. It was then that David made the conscious choice to "remember" when God had delivered both a lion and a bear into his hands and he had killed them as a shepherd guarding his flock. As God had delivered him from the threat of both lion and bear, so He would deliver him from the hands of Goliath.

What should we do, beloved, when confronted by the trials of this life? We should choose to remember those times when God has delivered us from past trials, from the "lion" or the "bear" that we could not overcome in our own strength. And what He has done in the past He will do in the present. We can face every trial of life, then, with utter confidence because we know that our God is able!

Now pay close attention to Saul's response to David's declaration of his complete trust in God - "Go, and may the Lord be with you." When once we have set our eyes upon the Lord and our trust is in Him, all that remains is for us to "go" - straight ahead as David did. Whatever we face, our direction is ahead into the future that God has for us. Remember the "lion" and the "bear," beloved? Good! Now "go" and may the God of all grace be with you!

Ron