Trust the Living God (1 Samuel 17:26)

In this episode of Pray the Word on 1 Samuel 17:26, David Platt warns against defying the living God and calls believers to trust him and live for his glory.

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Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical dot net. First Samuel chapter seventeen, verse twenty six. And David said to the men who stood by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? These are David's words when he comes up and sees Goliath, who has totally intimidated the Israelite army as a Philistine giant, and David says, Who does he think he is? That he should defy the armies of this is the key issue of the living God. This is the primary issue, and David knew it. Goliath wasn't just defying an army in the Israelites. Goliath was defying God himself. And David would have nothing of it. He's basically saying, Who does this guy think he is to be able to stand up? Not to the powerful Israelite army, but to the army of the living God. If God is with his people, the Israelites, then this giant, no matter how big he is, no matter how strong he is, no matter how intimidating he is, there is no way that he can stand against God and anyone God is with. David knew that the principal issue at stake here was not about a human battle between a giant and someone who would come out to fight him. Not even ultimately about a human battle between Philistines and Israelites. This was ultimately a battle about someone representing an army who is defying God himself. And all throughout Scripture, we see that God works in and through people who trust his power and live for his glory. And this is exactly what we see in the battle between David and Goliath. David didn't trust himself, he trusted in the power of God. And David wasn't doing this to defend himself. He was ultimately doing this to defend the name of the living God. And I just want to encourage you to live today in this same way. I want to live today in this way. I want to live trusting in God, trusting in his word and his power and his strength. And I want to live today for his glory. I want to live so that others know he is the living God, that he is the good and gracious God who gives eternal life to all who trust in him, that he is a God who is trustworthy. He is a God whose glory no one or nothing in this world can compare with. He is a God whose beauty nothing or no one in this world can compare with. So we pray, God, you alone are the living God. There is no one like you in all the earth. There is no one like you. And you are infinitely worthy of our trust, and you are infinitely worthy of all glory. So we pray that you would help us to live with the same kind of zeal that David approached this situation with in 1 Samuel 17. God help us to approach every situation we face today, trusting in you, trusting in your power, trusting in your strength, and God help us to approach every situation today, living for your glory. We pray that you would make your glory known, your grace known. We pray that you would use our lives today to glorify your name, to point people to who you are. We pray for opportunities to share the gospel today. We pray for opportunities to share your grace, your salvation with others, that they might come to know you as the living God. God, we pray for our coworkers, we pray for our neighbors, we pray for family members, we pray for acquaintances we will meet today, that we're not even planning to meet, that we don't even know who we will meet. God, we pray that you would help us to be open to opportunities to point people to you, the living God today, to the eternal life that's found in you today. God, help us to trust in you as we face different challenges, trials, giants, so to speak, in front of us. God, help us to trust in you and your provision for your glory. And God, we pray that you would make your glory known through us today. In our lives, we pray that you would make your glory known around the world today. God, we pray for the Sarkai people in Nepal. 365,000 of them, 0.0% believing the gospel right now. No known believers among this people group in Nepal. Please, oh God, make your glory known among them. You are the living God. They worship all kinds of other Hindu gods, millions of gods, lowercase G gods that are not the one true living, uppercase G God, who you are. God, please make your grace, your gospel, your glory known among them. Please use our lives, our churches to send out people, missionaries to them. We pray for other churches around Nepal, in northern India, in areas, regions around the Himalayas there. God, please cause your gospel to go to them that they might know you as the living God. We pray for this for people around us, people around the world, people, groups around the world, particularly who have yet to be reached by the gospel. Show yourself as the living God through our lives, we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.