Mighty

Do you need some encouragement?

Here's some from Our Daily Bread. The devotional for today was written by Wyn Collier, and it's titled, Mighty. Baby Sabie, born as a micro-premie at 23 weeks, only weighed 8.6 ounces. Doctors doubted Sabie would live and told her parents they'd likely have only an hour with their daughter. However, Sabie kept fighting. A pink card near her crib declared, Tiny but Mighty.

After five months in the hospital, Sabie miraculously went home as a healthy five-pound baby, and she took a world record with her, the world's tiniest surviving baby. It is powerful to hear stories of those who beat the odds. The Bible tells of one of these stories. David, a shepherd boy, volunteered to fight Goliath, a mammoth warrior who defamed God and threatened Israel. King Saul thought David was ridiculous, saying in 1 Samuel 17, You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him.

You are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth. And when the boy David stepped onto the battlefield, Goliath looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy. However, David didn't step into battle alone. He came in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel. And when the day was done, a victorious David stood above a dead Goliath. No matter how enormous the problem, when God is with us, there's nothing that we need to fear.

With his strength, we're also mighty. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel chapter 17 verse 32 and verses 41 through 47. David said to Saul, Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him. Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield-bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Come here, he said, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals. David said to the Philistine, 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. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 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, and he will give all of you into our hands.

Now let's pray. Almighty and powerful God, thank you for the great reminder that nothing is impossible for you. Many of us, if we admit it, feel like we're standing in front of our own Goliath today, and feel like we are helpless. Would you remind us that nothing is too big for you to conquer? Fill us with the courage of David, so that we can face the giant before us and with your strength overcome. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.