If you were in Sunday School as a child, then you will remember the very popular Sunday School story where David, a young shepherd boy, fought a Philistine giant and won! That giant was named Goliath and with 5 stones and a sling shot, God helped David defeat the giant.

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down

 ⁴⁷  For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

⁴⁸ When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
1 Samuel 17

With the help of the Lord, David defeated the Philistine giant.

Now many many years later, in 1 Chronicles 14, David finds himself with the Philistines again, in the Valley of Raphaim.

It’s interesting to note that the word Rephaim means –> giants!

So here he is again and what does he do?

1 Chronicles 14:8 & 9 says,

⁹ Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁰ And David inquired of God, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand.”

David prayed.

David inquired of God as to what he should do. He did not assume that he knew how to fight the giants even though he was a man who had fought many battles and won. In his own human wisdom, he could have created a plan of attack and then simply asked the Lord to bless his plan. Instead, he went first to the Lord.

David prayed.

And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand.”

¹¹ And he went up to Baal-perazim, and David struck them down there.

And David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like a bursting flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. 

¹² And they left their gods there, and David gave command, and they were burned.
1 Chronicles 14

Then, David obeyed.

God told David to go up and David went up.

David defeated the Philistines but he did not take credit for the victory. Instead, he says that God broke through his enemies by his hand, like a bursting flood.

Then he named the place of the breakthrough —> Baal Perazim.

Baal means –> the Lord.

Perazim means –> breakthrough.

Our God is the Lord of the breakthrough.

Do you need a breakthrough today?

Friends, many times as soon as God is at work in our lives, the enemy gets to work in our lives as well. 

Spiritual warfare is real! 

And we see in 1 Chronicles 14 that the enemy does not give up.  Right after David finished one battle with the enemy – they tried again in verses 13-17.

And so, David had to turn to God and wait on the Lord to help him have victory AGAIN! 

Is there an area of your life where you feel like the enemy is attacking you over and over again?  Too often we try to fight our spiritual battles on our own strength. But our God is the Lord of the breakthrough! We need to…

Pray and Obey.

It is interesting to note that just one chapter before, in 1 Chronicles 13:11, it says the Lord had “broken out” against Uzzah for touching the ark of the covenant and put him to death. And David named that place —> Perez-uzza meaning where God broke out against Uzzah!

So we see in 1 Chronicles 13 – God broke out (Perez) in anger at Uzzah’s disobedience.

Then we see in 1 Chronicles 14 – God broke through (Perazim) when David obeyed.

Obedience is KEY to breakthrough.

Our God is the Lord of the breakthrough.

BUT

I sit here and ask myself, what about when the breakthrough doesn’t come? I mean there are mountains in my life that just have not moved. There are breakthroughs I have prayed for for years and the breakthrough did not come.

Does this mean I’ve been living in disobedience?

Perhaps…

As a believer, it is definitely important that we humbly self-reflect and confess sin in our lives. But what if after self-reflection, we know that we have not been living in sin.

Now what?

Life experience has taught me that not all breakthroughs come fast like David’s. And not all breakthroughs come the way I prayed for them to come.

Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs in my life happen in my soul as I surrender my giants to God.

Surrender = Peace

Surrender = Rest

Surrender = Release

And there — my friends — is freedom and there is my breakthrough. Because at the end of the day, it is intimacy with Jesus and his peace and rest that I long for in the midst of life’s weary battles.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons about God faithfulness from the dark valleys I’ve walked through. Life is messy and complicated. There are no perfect formulas that lead to a life without suffering.

But there is a way to peace and rest and it comes through trusting in Jesus.

Jesus said,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 
Matthew 11:28

Do you need a breakthrough today?

Our Lord is the Lord of the breakthrough!

Pray and obey.

And when the breakthrough doesn’t come and your mountain doesn’t move –> give your giant to Jesus in exchange for his peace and rest.

Wait on the Lord of the breakthrough. We serve a mighty God. He is able!

Keep believing.

Walk with the King,

Courtney

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