Prepared for Battle?

For years I have been fascinated with the life of Samuel.  It always intrigued me how God shows such contrast between the boy Samuel and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phineas.  Hophni and Phineas were set to inherit the priesthood but they lived very wicked lives and they chose to deliberately disobey God.  So God had to "raise up a faithful priest" in a young boy named Samuel. This lays the foundation for the story at hand.  The Israelites continually faced the Philistine army. This army was their "giant".  In fact many of the Philistines were actual giants.  God's people faced them again and again throughout Scriptures and many times we see them scared to death to face them.  In 1 Sam. 4:1-10, Israel goes to war with the Philistines and are defeated and they lose 4,000 men in the battle.  When they return they are upset and discouraged and so, under the leader ship of Hophni and Phineas, they decide to take the Ark of the Covenant out of it's Holy place and into their battle in order to "insure" their win against the Philistines.  However, we see that instead of a great victory, they lose terribly and 30,000 men are killed including Hophi and Phineas.

Why did this happen? Why would God's people lose a battle especially when they had the Ark with them?  First of all, they put their trust in holy objects instead of a Holy God!  The Ark of the Covenant was an amazing, beautiful symbol of God, but it WAS NOT GOD!  They didn't need the help of "objects" or "things", they needed the help of the Living God! Secondly, they moved in haste and in their own strength instead of seeking God and asking Him to fight for them.  I find myself standing in the "Israelite line" so many times.  I see their choices and realize that I often make the same ones.  How many times do we as Christians, put our trust in symbols and things? We lean on everything and everyone else but God, Himself.  The problem is, people and things will ALWAYS fail us but God never fails!  Facing our battles while trusting in symbols and objects is like fighting with a gun with no bullets.  We will never advance.  We will never see victory.  Maybe God has NOT done BIG things in your life because you haven't completely relied on Him for the strength?

The next time the Israelites meet with the Philistines, 1Sam. 7:3-13, we find them in a completely different position.  Samuel had gathered the people together to confess their sins, then fast and pray.  While they were meeting the Philistines mobilized to attack them, but God fought for them and the army was defeated.  This time instead of trusting in symbols, they trusted in the Almighty God.  They stood clean before Him, with their hearts humbled, and sought His strength.  Three simple things that I'm sure we'd never find in a military handbook, but 3 simple things that brought them victory against their giants.  

I don't know what you face.  But I do know it's "giant" to you.  Remember as you battle to carry your 3 most valuable weapons: A clean heart before God, humility that realizes your need, trust in the Almighty God to fight your battle!