Today’s scripture: I Samuel 17:38-54 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Mark Shoup):
Whoever says that God doesn’t have a sense of humor has never read the account of young David putting on Saul’s big heavy armor and battlements, and then being unable to walk because of them. In my head, it calls to mind a Norman Rockwell painting of a little boy playing dress-up with his father’s boots and clothes.
So how was it that this scrawny little boy was able to bring down a 9-ft warrior with one stone from his Dennis-the-Menace slingshot? Was it his skill as a marksman? Possibly, but I think it was more than that, and it seems from the account that David knew this as well. He was fighting for God’s honor and “so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (v 46). I think David knew he couldn’t fail because he had God on his side.
Although this story is well known and an important account of the future King David in it’s own right, I think it is also a metaphor for how we, even still today, can face and defeat challenges. I think this passage is telling us we can conquer anything as long as we are fighting God’s battle, and fighting with God on our side.
We don’t have to look very far to see examples of this. Our own church has itself battled against staggering odds and won in the face of oppression against LGBTQ people in our state legislature. We have also acquired our current building and converted it into our place of worship and fellowship when it didn’t look like that would be possible, at least for many more years.
But Goliaths can also be individual. Addiction, depression, and poverty are only three of an unlimited number of obstacles we can face and overcome with God on our side. And just like David, we need to believe we can not fail.
Thought for the day: What Goliath am I facing? How can I be sure I’m fighting God’s battle?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.