As I find myself in a new season of life, I’m sensing from the Lord that I need to start something new. Something that allows me to use my brain and some of the gifts the Lord has given me in order to help help me process what’s the Lord doing and saying in me, all the while hoping that I might be able to allow others to be encouraged and hear the voice of the Lord. I will be starting to write small “lessons” or “sermons” if you will, from portions of Scriptures that I will be reading and studying and sharing my thoughts and findings on here. I hope you’ll take this journey with me as together we discover more of the word of the Lord and what He is saying to His people…at least what He is saying to me 🙂
Project 1: David & Goliath- 1 Samuel 16-17
“Don’t Forget Who’s Child You Are”
Since growing up in church, I am well familiar with the popular story of David and Goliath. I think this is the story every Sunday School teacher knows by heart and takes a sign of relief when this lesson comes up because it’s usually pretty easy to teach…Small young, boy, verses big giant. Small boy is fearless, and wins a huge battle for the people of Israel. Let’s eat some Gold Fish crackers and draw a pretty picture and go home.
But this time, as I was reading the story, I realized there is SO much more to it than that. Yes, there’s a small, young boy. Yes, there’s a giant. Yes, there’s a victory for Israel. But there’s a character development that I really think get’s missed in this story. At least I’ve missed it! As I started to look more closely at this story I started to think about who David really was. In these two chapters of Scriptures, the guy gets five different descriptions! The first is from his father saying that he is the youngest of the family and tends to the sheep. Now just from this first description of him, David has two strikes against him: he was the youngest in his family, and he was was a shepherd- a job that was usually assigned to the youngest in the family, or the least of the slaves. This was a job nobody wanted, and often those who were shepherds were mistreated, discriminated against, even hated. How could it be possible that this boy would go on to become the king of God’s holy people? I believe it was all because He knew Who’s child he was. He knew the Father, and because he knew the Father, it didn’t matter how many different strikes against him he had.
David seems to have an air about him that reveals that He knew the Father. He knew His heart, and character, and power. He relied on Him to provide and protect David, his sheep, his family. I can imagine David having spent hours upon hours talking with the Lord, worshiping Him from the depths of his soul. Now I’m sure it wasn’t all about the Lord, after all, he was a teenage boy, but I imagine that the time spent in those fields were the most precious, life giving, growing times any person could ever have. I think of Saint Patrick who, as a slave in Ireland, was out in the fields, doing very similar work than that of David while learning the heart of the Lord. St Patrick took what he learned of the Lord, applied it to his own life and then changed a nation’s history.
The fact that David had a relationship with the Lord that made him stand out beyond his brothers, or any other person in Israel, for that matter just amazes me. And yet, because he did, he knew that nothing, no one- not even a 9 foot giant- can stand in his way.
As David watched the sheep I wonder if he thought what he wasn’t doing anything important, or it wasn’t as important as his brothers since they were off to war, and he was stuck at home. I mean, it was, after all, SHEEP! Little, helpless, pathetic sheep. And he was in charge of watching them. But because he had that time in the pastures, and was able to see the hand of the Lord on him as he fought the bear and lion, he was able to say to Saul and the armies- our God’s hand is not short. He can and will deliver His people from this uncircumcised (fitly, low end, awful, good for nothing) Philistine. David had seen the power of God, and now was able to believe whole heartily that God is the same and would surely not disappoint.
How many times have I been in the “pasture” watching sheep and fighting lions and bears that seemed so insignificant at the time. But then, days, months, years, sometimes hours, later I’m faced with a giant and instead of cowarding back, I see it for what it is- something or someone- smaller than the King of Kings that I’ve come to love, know and rely on while fighting the lions and bears. (At least I hope I see it for what it is!)
Are you fighting lions and bears while others around you are fighting giants? Are you in the pasture just writing songs, talking to Jesus, but no action is happening? No matter where you are, no matter how many strikes you might have against you, know that each moment, each trial, each win, each conversation, can and should be used when giants are right in front of you defiling the God of the universe and His kids. Remember, you’re His child, He’s got you. As long as you know Him, you’re unstoppable.
Walking with Jesus... 