David and YOUR Giant

David and Goliath, an age old story filled with such new and fresh revelation.  Allow me to set the scene. A war seemed unavoidable.  The army was equipped with weaponry and armor and fully prepared for battle.  The problem arose when the enemy changed the plan.  This wasn’t to be a battle between armies but instead it was to be a battle between champions.  The biggest, the strongest and the fiercest competitors were going to battle it out.  The winner would become the champion of their nation and the losing team would become their servants. A lot was on the line and truth being told, the enemy opponent was bigger, like “over nine feet tall” bigger.  “He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing 5000 shekels (125lbs) (1 Samuel 17:5)”.  Not only was he bigger, he was aggressive and continuously taunting.  He tormented the opposing nation day and night for 40 days.  Yelling and screaming and throwing down a challenge to fight, a challenge that not one from the fully armed and armored team was up for, that is until David comes along.

 

 David was a young shepherd boy who was not even supposed to be there.  He was delivering food to his war fighting brothers.  During his brief visit this 9ft tall enemy, named Goliath, made an appearance and once again made his threats.  The army of men once again retreated in fear.  But David was different.  He knew this enemy was not just after the army of men, he was also after their God.  The men retreated because they knew that despite all of their experience, armor and weapons that none of them were capable of beating such a giant, none of them would come out a champion in this battle.  But David, he believed differently.  The only experience he brought to the table was his stories of defending his sheep by fighting lions and bears with his bare hands, and as far as weapons go, he was equipped with only a sling and a handful of rocks. What David knew that the other men forgot was that this battle was not one he would be fighting but instead this battle was the Lord’s.

To sum up the story that most are familiar with, David went to battle. He refused the armor that was provided for him and with just a hand full of rocks and a sling shot, he courageously charged the taunting giant enemy.  He didn’t wait to be approached, he looked directly at his enemy and said “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD ALMIGHTY, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45), and then he ran directly at him and with the sling of one rock, he silenced the giant opposing enemy with a blow right smack in the middle of the head. It was with the sling of that one rock and the trembling ground from the collapse of a giant that “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel”. And with that, God was the Champion.   

All of this, once again, begs me to ponder.  David was a mere young man, a lowly shepherd, the youngest brother, much like we are mere humans, housewives, businessmen, mothers and fathers, anything other than warriors.  He was not a mighty warrior either, BUT, he sure knew one didn’t he?  David seemed to remember the very thing that is so easy for me and others to forget.  He remembered that the battle was not his, it was God’s.

Just like the Israelites and David, we all have enemies too.  Sometimes it’s exhausting fighting them and at other times we never even go to battle because we don’t seem to stand a chance, so instead we cower.  We become servants of the enemy that taunts us. After all, it is in our face screaming and yelling and towering above us.  It taunts, it makes fun and it reminds us of how little we are.  But, just as David yelled back at his enemy, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD ALMIGHTY, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied!”, we need to be reminded that we can yell back too. 

We can say to our enemies, “You come against me with fear and anxiety but I come against you in the name of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!”

“You come against me with threats against my health and debts larger than my checkbook, but I come against you with the name of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!”

“You come against me with depression and grief but I come against you in the name of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!” 

Do you get it?  Can you feel the power welling up inside you just as you read this?  That is God. He is our champion and mighty warrior, He can handle our battles.  We need only to pick up the sling shot and a rock. It doesn’t matter if we are little boy shepherds facing ginormous giants, because let’s be real, some of our enemies are indeed giant, but our enemy will always be smaller than our God.  We, like David, need to find the courage and face our enemies instead of cowering down to them and becoming their slaves.  God has called us to be free in Him.  It's time we pick up our slingshots of truth that is found in the word of God and get in the face of our enemy and run after it screaming all the way that he will not defy your God!  Let the Lord fight your battles dear friends.  And when He wins, because He will, your life will show that He indeed is God.              

So today, figure out your enemy.  Is it depression, is it grief, is it fear, or is it generational bondage? Fill in the blanks above and yell back.  Whatever it is, don’t allow it to torment you day and night and don’t allow it to threaten you into submission.  It’s a battle that God has already won for you.  Stand against it and claim the victory.  And lastly, for the record, not only did the giant die, David also cut off his head and fed his carcass to the birds and animals. Spiritually speaking, feel free to do that as well!