What? Warriors don't wear sandals. One particular warrior that I just read about did. I have heard of him many times but I have now seen him in a whole new light. Funny how we can do that if we read the same story over and over again.
I am talking about the story of David and Goliath. We have all heard the story of David, a teenage shepherd boy who went to check on his brothers at the front of the battle. Saul's army was up against the Philistines, and no one would fight Goliath. As was common practice at that time, one soldier could come forward and challenge the opposing army to send one of their soldier's to fight one on one. Whoever won, their army won. This saved a lot of bloodshed. Well, no one would fight Goliath. He was over 9 feet tall and weighed anywhere from 400-500 pounds. He was heavily armored (I can only imagine the size of such a beast of a man and the magnificence of his armor, head to feet.) No wonder no one wanted to fight him.
Stroll on over to 1 Samuel 17 and take a look at the scene. When Goliath shouted from the valley, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” (vs.8-9) His voiced boomed!
Now, follow me here. I am often heard this and thought, oh, how brave David was. All the other soldiers, to include his brothers, laughed and mocked him because they were trained warriors and here he was, a shepherd boy, fresh off the farm, so to speak, and he thinks he can kill this giant?! Ha! But these soldiers, and the entire Israelite nation, stood to lose their freedom and, possibly, even their lives if David lost. In their minds it was not an "if" but a "when".
Again, we know the story. David recalls the times that the Lord helped him to protect the sheep in his care. These victories could not be of his own doing at his age, size, and strength. He gave God the credit and he knew it to be evidence of God's protection on himself. He had a faith much larger than Goliath.
There is so much more to this story, but for the sake of losing you in a labyrinth of script, let's just camp out on the magnitude of David's faith in comparison to Goliath's strength. Even with his brothers taunting him and the soldiers sneering and laughing at him, and the Philistines all cheering on the opponent, David did not back down. When God gave him the desire to defend the Israelites, he did so without hesitation. Sure, he was offered man-made protection from King Saul, but, seeing that the protection of the armored would be too cumbersome, he knew it was okay. God was his protection. All he needed.
What are you facing today? Is it an intimidating person? (Don't go throwing stones at their head, please. I feel safe in saying this isn't what God would have you do.) Are you facing unemployment? Financial strain? Unexpected pregnancy? Whatever it is, I have heard it said a few times recently in different conversations, "Don't tell God how big your problem is. Tell your problem how big your God is." As many times as I have heard this said recently, I think God is telling me something, too. So, I am leaning in real close to hear..."God, what are You doing in, through, and to the situation I am facing right now? Which way do you want me to take my next step or next turn? How do I stay close enough to You until my problem becomes Your victory? I'm listening....
Whatever it is you may be going through I know He's not gonna let it get the best of you
You're an overcomer
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