Facing Your Goliaths



Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
~Isaiah 41:10

Most of you know the story of David and Goliath. Yes, the one of the teenage shepherd boy who took on a giant soldier and defeated him. This is not a fairy tale but a factual, historic incident. The Israeli soldiers and the Philistine armies faced each other on opposite hills with a valley in between. Goliath came out as a spokesman for the Philistines and challenged a one-on-one, winner-take-all battle... but there was no one who would face this 9' 6" tall monster of a fighting machine. His armor alone weighed 125 pounds.

Then came David. He was checking up on his brothers who were in the Israeli army, but found himself determined to accept the challenge to fight. Putting aside all the king's weapons and armor, David walked down the hill, picked up a few smooth stones from the creek, and while Goliath hurled insults at him, David moved forward fearlessly. He took one of the stones, put it in his sling, swung it around to gain highest velocity, then let it fly straight into the center of Goliath's forehead. Then BOOM! There must have been a huge thud as his body hit the ground. David took Goliath's own sword and cut off his head.

How could a skinny little teenage boy do such a thing as this? Let me ask you, how can you face your great challenges and trials in life... those that seem so big and impossible to overcome? Listen to the last words that Goliath heard before feeling that stone nail him between the eyes.

"For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.” (Samuel 17:47)

David would write about God's intervening strength in the years ahead... and don't you think he remembered that Goliath moment for a lifetime?

Psalm 24:8
Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!

Psalm 140:7
O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
So, like David, fear not. Know that God is with you. The battle is the Lord's... not yours. You have little or no power against impossible odds, "but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

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