The Battle is the Lord's

I reread the story of David and Goliath. I am an attorney for a state agency. We have limited resources. We frequently face the biggest law firms in the state. I have been in contentious negotiations and I thought about David and Goliath.

David was discounted because he was young, he was a sheep herder. When he asked questions about Goliath, he was shushed by his brother and he responded, "can't I even speak"? I wonder if we are discounted because we are government employees? In my entire legal career, I have never worked with such dedicated attorneys.

When David offered to fight Goliath, Saul scoffed. But David was steadfast in his faith.

David was a man of faith. He believed in God; he watched as God was being defiled by Goliath. He wanted to be God's instrument; he wanted to stand up for God. When David faced Goliath he said: "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied...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..."

Not that we are the instrument of the Lord in a battle for just and reasonable rates, but there are so many lessons to be learned from the story of David and Goliath. First, never underestimate the little guy. Sometimes less is more...David had 5 stones and a sling shot!

Next, stand up for your beliefs.

If God be for you, who can be against you. Trust Him, He can use any method, even the small and meek to accomplish His purposes.

Finally in the end, it is God who saves, it is His battle not ours. He sent an ordinary man to redeem us. God defeats the enemy without the sword or the spear. He uses, of all things, a cross and a grave, a crucifixion and resurrection. He again uses what is weak to put the strong to shame and what is foolish to shame the wisdom of the wise. He uses His Son, dying on the cross and arising from the grave, to defeat the powers of darkness.

The battle is the Lord's. And, so is the victory.