QT 24 Oct 13, Faith is believing God has your best interests at heart

1 Sam 17:41-47 (ESV) And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." 45 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. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."

NOTE: The only thing they seem to agree about is that they are going to feed the birds and the wild beasts with the other's body. David's statement is different in other ways. Goliath focuses on himself, that he is a "dog" to send such a weak opponent. For David, it has nothing to do about himself. Goliath has defied God. And God is the one who will deliver Goliath into David's hand. The result, is that all the world will know that there is a God in Israel, and that God saves not with a sword or spear, but his is the entire battle. Those are strong words of faith. I don't know if I could say those things, but the covenants are also different. The Old Covenant does promise physical blessing, but the New Covenant promises spiritual blessing. Paul and Peter were crucified for their faith. I suppose that my response would be closer to Shadrach and his friends, "if God does or does not deliver, we will still do the right thing." I don't know the future. Nor am I promised that things will go the way I desire. Faith is believing that God cares about me, and knows my needs completely. How he acts is not for me to say. I can respond to the situation because I have faith that he cares even when I don't get what I want.

Is God trying to tell me something? Is what I want, not going to happen? Will I still have faith when I am let down? I would hope so. But I really hope that this is not the test of that character quality. Instead I hope the answer to my prayer is yes, because it seems in so many respects as the best possible thing for me in my life. And not just me, but for how God has been using me.

Faith is believing God has your best interests at heart. But can we believe when we don't get what we want?