Date: Saturday, 29th March, 2025
Text: 1 Samuel 17:33-37
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
Men of great faith have the habit of remembering the testimonies of God’s faithfulness in the past and they use that as an assurance of his faithfulness in the present and the future. They know that what God has done before, he is able to do again and even do more. Therefore, they are not afraid of the challenges of the present and the future.
When David sought for the king’s permission to go and fight the military champion called Goliath, King Saul initially despised him because of his military inexperience and young age. He said to David, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 1 Samuel 17:33
However, when David reeled out his credentials of the testimonies of God’s faithfulness of the past, the king had a change of mind. David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.”
He went further to say, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 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.” 1 Samuel 17:34-37
Of course, God honoured his faith and granted him an uncommon victory.
Unlike many of us today, David didn’t forget the faithfulness of God in the past. No wonder he said, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not his benefits- Psalm 103:2. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forevermore-Hebrews 13:8. What he did yesterday he can repeat it today, tomorrow and forever. He is a no respecter of persons; therefore, what he has done for others, he is able to do for you.
When an ugly or unwanted reality presents itself to you; don’t accept it. But remember what God has done before and activate your faith to change your current unwanted reality to a new desirable one.
Action Nugget: Activate your faith by remembering God’s faithfulness in the past and in that spirit, tackle the challenges of today’s reality.
Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 22-24