The reason Paul can be so confident about the blessings of God is because He has a secure understanding of who God is. We really need this confidence in and understanding of God if we are to receive God’s blessings and be transformed as Paul prays. So often, our eyes are on our circumstances and on the difficulties we face, and that leaves us feeling weak and powerless. We are like the Israelites when they were facing Goliath. Goliath was about 3 metres tall – 9 feet 9 inches. (1 Sam 17:4) Scripture tells us, ‘He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armour of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.’ (1 Sam 17:5-7) He was an intimidating sight, and there’s no wonder Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified when they saw him and heard his roars. That is a symbol of how we often feel in life when we face circumstances beyond our control and situations which daunt and terrify us. We feel weak and helpless; the enemy seems huge and overpowering. But when David came along, he saw something different. He could see the giant just like everyone else could, but David’s vision of God was much bigger.
David had confidence in God’s ability to deliver him: ‘The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’ (1 Sam 17:37) So often, what distinguishes those who win victories in God and those who live in failure is not the person’s abilities or their own strengths but their confidence in God (see 1 Sam 17:45-47). David had a right view of God. He saw God as all-powerful. He saw God as almighty. He was not overwhelmed by the situation or terrified by the bluster of the giant because he was confident in God’s ‘glorious riches’, in His vast, unlimited power. We need to be people like David and Paul who focus more on who God is than on the many problems we face (see Ps 50:1-3, Ps 55:10, Ps 2:6).
Matt Redman reminds us, ‘A big view of God is a cure for so many of the things in life that would stand in our way or slow us down in ministry. When we really grasp the heights of who He is, and the depths of His heart for us, and the strength of His power in us, we can live a whole different kind of life. The way we view God will radically affect how our lives operate… We must see and believe Him as big enough, kind enough, real enough and strong enough to move in power in our everyday lives – no matter what we’re facing.’