Who wins the battle when no one will step up?

16 Mar Who wins the battle when no one will step up?

Read 1 Samuel 17 (NLT)
Thought for the Day: God is with us!

Over the centuries much has been understood and written about David and Goliath. As arguably the most famous story of an underdog triumphing over a far-superior foe, many have used this story as an example of why each of us must step up and face our giants. Yes, David was clearly outmatched: he was a shepherd boy while Goliath was a military champion. To make things worse, Goliath wore 125-pound armor while David was too small to wear King Saul’s armor that was given to him. And how could we forget that Goliath carried a 15-pound spear while David simply had a sling and a few smooth river stones? Meeting Goliath in battle, David literally faced a giant.

BUT, re-read this passage again and you may notice something else: David never feared Goliath. It was each member of the Israelite army (including King Saul) who literally faced a giant and were too afraid to step up. For David, a young man used to fighting lions and personally anointed as God’s chosen hero, meeting Goliath that day was not an act of overcoming fear. He knew that with God on his side, he had absolutely nothing to fear. Rather, it was everyone else who faced their giants… and lost that day.

Who wins the battle when no one will step up? At the moments when we are gripped with fear, do we remember that God is on our side like he was for David? Or are we more like the Israelite army, waiting for someone else to come in and save the day? Yes, we encounter times in our lives when life makes no sense and we are legitimately frightened. When we find ourselves face-to-face with a Goliath, let’s remember that we don’t need to be gripped by fear. Rather, we can pray and remember that the same God who is faithful is with us. Then, we can step up and face that giant!

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David