Expect the Supernatural

        “So using only a sling and a stone, David proved to be stronger than the Philistine. David struck down and killed the Philistine, even though David didn’t have a sword in his hand.” (1 Samuel 17:50 NOG).

        The Philistine had defied David and the God of David. “…’Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.’” (Verses 43-44 MEV).
           
        David didn’t shrink back. He said to the Philistine, “‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have reviled. This day will the Lord deliver you into my hand…’” (verses 45-46). David knew he had a covenant with God and the Philistine did not. David said, “…For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (Verse 26). David had seen God work before when David killed the lion and the bear. “…”’The Lord who 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.’..” (Verse 37).
           
       You know the account. David put a stone in his slingshot and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The Philistine fell on his face to the ground and David took the Philistine’s sword and cut off his head. “…When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.” (Verse 51).
           
        The God we serve doesn’t rely on natural means to bring victory and deliverance. He is a supernatural God. One meaning of supernatural is something that departs from the usual, or what is normal, especially so as to appear to transcend nature’s laws. Remember the widow of Zarephath? Even though she was gathering sticks for her last meal when she encountered Elijah, he asked her for some water and bread. Contrary to logic, she made a cake for Elijah first, as he requested, and then for herself and her son. True to the word of the Lord, “the barrel of meal did not run out, nor did the jar of oil empty, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:16 MEV).
           
        Or another widow, the wife of one of the prophets. Her husband had died and a creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves to repay a debt. Elisha, the servant of God, asked her what she had in her house. She told him she had nothing except a jar of oil. Elisha told her and her sons to gather as many bottles as they could. “Then go in, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour the oil into all these vessels. When each is full, set it aside.” (2 Kings 4:4 MEV). The oil kept flowing until they ran out of bottles. Elisha told her to sell the oil to repay the debt. I believe that oil would have kept flowing as long as they brought containers for it to fill.
           
        There are so many examples I could give but I’ll just mention two more. In 1 Chronicles 14 (MEV), the Philistines had come against David again. David asked God what to do. God answered and said, “’Do not go up after them, but turn around behind them and come to them in the front of the balsam trees. Whenever you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, you will advance the battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” (Verses 14-15). David did as God commanded, “…and they struck the camp of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.” (Verse 16).
           
        David could have told God he didn’t believe Him or that it was a crazy battle plan. But David listened and obeyed and that brought a supernatural victory.

            In the New Testament, Paul and Silas were in jail, fastened in the inner prison with their feet in the stocks. As they prayed and sang hymns to God, “…there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were loosened.” (Acts 16:26 MEV). As Paul and Silas praised God, in spite of the predicament they found themselves in, God gave them a supernatural victory.
           
​         I’m sure most of you reading this blog know these accounts from God’s Word. But I’ve put them down to remind us when we face difficult circumstances, not to look at the natural, what our five senses perceive, but to expect God to show up with His supernatural. Our God is an awesome God.