By Jason Yarbrough
You remember the story. Maybe from when you were a little kid in Sunday School. It's the stuff of legends. Millions of wide-eyed children have listened intently, completely captivated by such an incredulous tale.
As adults we may have relegated it to simply being a fairy tale. An implausible legend exaggerated over the years. One that really doesn’t have any bearing on our lives today.
But to dismiss its importance is to neglect the miracle of faith. To miss the wonder of belief. Holding relentlessly to the childlike ability to trust in something bigger than ourselves gives us the strength to hope. Dare we believe that the historic God we read about in the pages of Scripture is still willing and able to involve himself in our lives today?
David was a young man of few years and even less experience, so he was just naive enough to accept that God’s Word was true. When opposed, not by just an almost ten–foot tall Neanderthal, but also by his king, his nation, his friends and his family, David simply shrugged off their skepticism, and ran quickly and confidently to face Goliath. This mammoth warrior was shouting racial epitaphs at the entire army of Israel, suggesting they had questionable parentage and an impotent god. He ridiculed them mercilessly and shamed them constantly. He stole their self–respect and their dignity. Yet, David was undeterred. The Old Testament book of First Samuel records the only words David spoke directly to his enemy. “I come to you in the name of the Lord...Today the Lord will conquer you...This is the Lord’s battle, and He will give you to us!”
And God did.
Overwhelming odds. A seemingly impossible situation. They didn’t intimidate David. Do they intimidate you? Can you hear your giant mocking you? Can you hear him calling you names? Questioning your courage? Laughing in your face? Funny thing about giants…you never have to wonder who or what they are in your life! Can you fill in the blank? My Giant is ___________________!
We can see insurmountable odds; David saw unsurpassed opportunity. We can see inevitable pain; David saw his life’s purpose. We can see an apparent ending; David saw a new beginning.
So if you’re tired of being held hostage by your giant and you’re finally ready to do something about him, here’s three proven principles for “giant facing”.
1. Be ready when the time comes!
David seized the opportunity of a lifetime in the lifetime of the opportunity. He could have chosen to cower behind his size, his age, his lack of experience, or any of a dozen other reasonable excuses, but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. He had spent his whole life preparing for his big moment. After all, he was an expert marksman with his weapon of choice – a few stones and a sling. And he wasn’t afraid to use them.
2. Be willing to risk it all!
David didn’t care who was watching or mocking him. He wasn’t afraid of looking the fool…it was God’s reputation on the line. He just couldn’t envision a lifetime of captivity without going down swinging. And David really didn’t imagine he could possibly lose.
Certainly, we can relate to David’s situation. We hope that we can muster his determination. We each have our “Goliaths”. We hear him morning and night calling to us, his thunderous voice echoing down the mountainside to the cave where we’re hiding. He tells us we’re overmatched and overwhelmed. There’s just no way we can ever win. So we think it would be easier to just deal with things as they are. Eventually, though, the pain of things staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change, and we realize we have no choice but to finally, deliberately answer Goliath’s standing challenge.
3. Be inspired to run!
When the time came David attacked swiftly and with confidence! But here’s the key. David didn’t raise his sling thinking he could take down a giant with one small stone. Surely that would be impossible! But he knew that with God all things were possible. He just had to believe.
Many of us try for years in vain to slay our giants, but we’ve been “slinging” in our own strength. To win we must realize that our giants can only be conquered once–and–for–all in God’s ability and His alone. It’s His reputation on the line, remember?
Wait a minute. Did you hear that? I think that was your giant calling. Maybe it’s time to pick up a few stones.