Upper Room | Devotional

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Battling Giants
Read 1 Samuel 17:32-49
If God be for us, who can be against us?

-Romans 8:31 (KJV)
AS David, the young shepherd, was getting ready to battle the Philistine giant Goliath, King Saul asked David about his ability to meet the challenge. David explained how God had helped him defeat other adversaries in his life. "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine" (1 Sam. 17:37). That memory gave David strength and confidence.
Like David, we too face "giants." They may come upon us suddenly and appear monstrous. The current giant in my life is the grief that accompanies the death of my beloved wife of 47 years. At times, the grief seems larger than life. But memory is a powerful tool. As I recall the times God has helped me to overcome other crises in my life, I find the hope, comfort, and confidence to deal with this one. There is no giant that God cannot help us to conquer.
Richard N. Ryley (New York, U.S.A.)

Loving God, we thank you for the promise that the Holy Spirit will help us. We put our faith in you. As you have delivered us in the past, we trust that you will deliver us in the present and in the future. Amen.

With God's help, we can face and defeat any giant.

Those recently widowed


	And Not One Bird Stopped Singing Death and tragedy are inevitable in our lives; yet our society encourages us to ignore our emotions during these crises. AND NOT ONE BIRD STOPPED SINGING, a popular Upper Room book, provides a unique source of healing as it helps us cope honestly with our feelings of loss through death, in aging, and other emotional transitions.

| July 25, 2008 | July 26, 2008 |

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