Daily Devotion, July 1, 2020

Devotion: Read 1 Samuel 17:1-50.

Reading this scripture from The Message version, I read the phrase, “God-of-the-Angel-Armies”, and I realized I had heard that phrase in a song which our church’s praise team sings. The name of this great song is “Whom Shall I Fear?” and the subtitle is “the God-of-angel-armies” written and composed by Chris Tomlin.

When our son was about two years old, his two favorite Bible stories together were the stories about Goliath and David, and Zaccheus and Jesus! The first story was about a tall person and the second story was about a short person! Maybe as a two year old, everyone seems taller than you are!

Sometimes these days, many of our fears seem “taller” than we are, but we can be encouraged by David’s confidence in God and in God’s confidence in David (see I Samuel 16). We can say as Chris Tomlin has written in his song,

“Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side”

When nobody in Israel’s army would fight the Philistine giant Goliath, David stepped forward to fight in the name of God. His complete confidence was in God who had saved David already from the lion and the bear, while he was tending his sheep.

What’s always made an impression on me is that Saul, the King, tried to make David wear a soldier’s armor to protect him, but it was all too heavy for David. That was Saul’s and the other soldiers’ security. For David, his security came from God-Alive! Where does our security come from, things or God-Alive? Where does our strength come from when we are afraid, our external strengths of height, or muscle strength, or from God-Alive who gives strength from within with the assurance of presence always?

Adult Challenge:

What do you need God’s strength for to meet the challenges and fears of today? If time today, I encourage you to listen to Chris Tomlin’s song, “Whom Shall I Fear? (The God-Of-Angel-Armies) on YouTube. Click here to listen.

Youth Challenge:

David’s confidence and faith in God is so admirable. Can you think of a time where you really had to rely on God to give you strength? Have you ever had an experience where you were pleasantly surprised in how much faith you had?

Children's Challenge:

• Using masking tape, have each member of the family take turns standing against the wall and mark each of their heights with the masking tape. Write each person’s name on the corresponding tape.
• Tell kids how tall you are and then tell them that the Bible says that Goliath was nine feet tall.
• Then, using the measuring tape and stepladder, measure how tall nine feet is (or to the ceiling if your room is not tall enough). Place a piece of paper at the nine-foot mark above where the kids’ measurements are.
• Stand up against the wall where the measurement is to show how much taller Goliath was than you are.
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“It’s hard to believe that a boy like David was able to defeat such a large man as Goliath. I can see why everyone else was so afraid of him! But David knew that he had God on his side and didn’t need to feel frightened of anyone—not even someone as big as Goliath. David used the gifts God had given him to do what he knew God wanted him to do. Even though Goliath was big, David told himself that God made him and was with him. His decision to fight Goliath was a brave one, but it worked out. (Tell kids about a time that required you to be brave when you used a gift God has given you.) We should be brave with the talents God has given us.”