Our Scripture reading today is 1 Samuel 17:37, "David said moreover, 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. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee."
 
David had seen God work mightily in his life while he was tending to his father's sheep.  His faith was strengthened each time God performed another miracle.  These challenging times were preparation for an even greater obstacle.  Goliath brought much fear into the heart's of the soldiers from Israel.  Their faith in God was not strong and this caused them to stay in their tents every day.  
 
The difficult times in our lives are there for a purpose.  Actually, they serve many purposes.  One in particular is to keep us totally dependant on the almighty power of God.  We desperately need God to enable us to accomplish even the smallest of tasks.  A lion, bear, or Goliath are not going to come walking down the sidewalk towards today. (A bear might actually .) However, there are any number of other challenges that could be in our path.  Trust God that He is more than able to give us the victory.