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"For by it the elders obtained a good testimony."
(Hebrews 11:2)
Thirty-eight times in the Book of Hebrews the word "faith" is used. It is the great "Hall of Faith" chapter in the Word of God. We read of the faith of God's servants in the Old Testament. Though David is not mentioned in this chapter, he too was a man who believed God. He looked with the eyes of faith and saw the miracle of victory when others could only see the devastation of defeat.
Dr. Charles Stanley's primary point of emphasis in his sermon on trusting God is this: we need to believe God in every circumstance and go ahead and thank Him in advance for the victory that is yet to come. He said this was the key to David's victory over Goliath. He did not look upon this behemoth of a man as a seasoned soldier, able to demolish any man who fought him. No, he did not look at him like that. Rather, David saw him as already dead, a defeated foe, because God was with David and not with this giant.
Last week after our Wednesday night prayer meeting, I spoke to a gentleman in our church who recently lost his job. I shared with him this insight from Pastor Stanley's message and to go ahead and thank God for the new job that He is going to receive. He responded by saying that was a good word, and he received it well. Now, this is not a "name it and claim it" mentality. It is a win/win proposition. If you pray in faith according to God's will for something, then you can rest assured that God will grant your request. So, you might as well go ahead and thank Him in advance. Yes, this takes faith, but I believe such faith pleases God. If God says no to your request, you can still thank and praise Him, because that means He is protecting you.
David saw what the naked eye could not see. When we fully trust God, He gives us the capacity to see it done when there is no evidence. He gives us that kind of faith. It really is empowering to think of things like this as a follower of Jesus. We are to pray in faith, believe God, and not look at our circumstances or listen to negative people. David's own brother rebuked him for coming to the battle. I think Saul gave David little chance of killing the giant. But David did not listen to the voices of doubt. He believed God and listened to the voice of truth.
When we are anxious, we are not fully trusting Him. If we pray but do not fully believe, then we demonstrate that we do not have faith. If you genuinely seek Him, then He will show you. Pray and thank God in advance, and wait and see what He does. Either I trust Him, or I do not! Dr. Stanley said if you want God to maximize His peace and work in your life, you must fully trust Him!
Some of you reading this are in a battle, and it is raging. You are not staring at a literal giant named Goliath, but you are facing cancer, or depression, or financial stress, or any number of difficulties that are testing your faith and your relationship with God. It is easy for me to say, "Just trust God." But the truth of the matter is, we have no other choice but to trust God and wait on Him. If you know Him as your Savior, then He will save you time and time again. He is a good Father. He will never leave or abandon you or make you an orphan. He loves you, and in time, He will deliver you.
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