Friday, March 2, 2012

#105 Goliath in the Mirror

No doubt many of us are familiar with the story of David and Goliath; a Biblical tale of God working through the seemingly weakest among men. This story tells of David who goes to the battle front to check on his brothers on behalf of his father, Jesse.

Upon arriving on the scene of the battle David finds the mighty men of Israel cowering in fear because of an unconverted, Philistine giant named Goliath. Goliath stood shouting obscenities and insults against God and His people. His towering presence and renown in battle caused all the men of Israel's army to forget that God was on their side and would bring them victoriously through any and all battles He called them to fight.

Of course it did not help that their leader, King Saul, was hiding like a coward in his own tent. This display of weakness and faithlessness made David sick and disgusted. Although David was but only a shepherd boy, he had faith that could move mountains and apparently slay giants. After consulting with the king David was granted permission to go out and face the giant on behalf of God and Israel.

With a sling, five stones, and the Holy Spirit David ran out to meet the giant. Goliath was offended that such a one of weak appearance was sent out to face him. In his frustration and arrogance he tilted his helmet back to howl at David. That was just the opening David needed to make his shot. One stone was all that it took to take down the giant from Gath. Of course we know that the Lord was with David and perhaps the angels sped that stone faster than normal to give just the right amount of speed to drop Goliath. The irony of the whole thing is that David then approached him to finish him off with his own sword.

Too often we modern-day Christians act the part of Israel's army that day in the valley of Elah. Instead of facing off squarely against the Giants in our lives we too cower in fear forgetting that God has promised to help us overcome all trials and temptations. And many times the so-called giants are nothing more than a manifestation of our own lack of faith. In these cases we become our own giant because our own fears scare us from doing God's will.

It is my prayer that this brief review of how God used David to slay Goliath will give us the faith to trust the Lord in every circumstance we face. The Bible teaches us that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Which means that what He does for one He is willing to do for another. In other words God wants to bless each of His children. God wants to give each of His children victory over sin in their lives. And ultimately God wants to save all of us. Let's make it a point to not forget how much He loves us and how much He longs to work in our lives.

Dear Father God,
Thank You for the story of David and Goliath. Thank You for the promise that You will fight our battles with us too. Please forgive us for the times that we have failed to trust and follow You, Lord. Please teach us to face each trial, temptation, and conflict with You by our side. Please keep us from being our own Goliath. We love and praise You in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen!

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