Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45).
David was victorious over Goliath because he trusted the invisible God with very real and visible and impending problems. But remember this! It is easy to look at someone else’s successful battle, after the fact, and take for granted the outcome.
The single person who once upon a time struggled with loneliness and for patience, but is now married and has a house full of kids; the parent or grandparent who agonized in daily prayer for years for the salvation of their wayward child, but now he or she is a joyful and active member of the church; the miserable employee who dreaded going into work each day, but who now is happily employed at his dream job.
It is hard to believe in a giant, invisible God when a visible giant stands in front of you.
What was it like, though, at the time of the challenge when the outcome was still unknown, uncertain? It was for them just like it is for us right now, in the middle of the trial!
David trusted the invisible God to defeat his very visible enemy — and you should too. The giant temptations or trials you are facing may not be removed this side of heaven, but God promises that every enemy and difficulty — even death — has been brought under his dominion and is being used for your good and his glory.
It is hard to believe in a giant, invisible God when a visible giant stands in front of you. Yet this is precisely when we, like David, must trust in God, must rush into the fray by faith.