The Faith that Conquers

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and 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 taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.’

Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.” 1 Samuel 17:45-49

Sincere expressions of faith do not always have happy endings. We may not get the job we prayed about so intensely. Our loved one may fail to respond to medical treatment that had so much promise. How can we say that our faith conquers in such situations?

 Even when our motives are pure and our prayers biblical, our trust is not automatically rewarded as we envisioned. But our faith can remain unshaken as we embrace the following principle: We trust in God to bring about His purposes, regardless of the immediate results or future consequences.

God is sovereign. He is in control of all things, both good and evil. Our faith is in Him to do as He pleases, when He pleases, and how he pleases, which is always for our very best. We pray as we feel God leads us. But we entrust the outcome to His wisdom and love, confident in His power and ability. David defeated Goliath, but was forced from his throne by his own son. In each case, David’s faith was anchored in God’s providential care and provision.

When God has His way, we always win. And our faith inevitably conquers.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1