Fighting Giants!

June 18, 2020

Fighting Giants!

Growing up, I was too small for my friends.  It meant I was often a target for bullying.  I remember not wanting to leave the school building at the end of the day for fear I would be beat up.  More than a few times, I ran most of the mile-walk home in fear.

Growing up, I was too quiet for my teachers.  It meant I was often misunderstood.  I remember not wanting to go to class for fear I would be called on by the teacher.  More than a few times, I ended up in the nurses’ office spitting up my lunch and my fear.

My life as a student was often not very pleasant.  To be honest, the physical pain of being thrown against school lockers, shoved to the ground, or hit upside the head was not as difficult as not being understood and not being accepted for the person God made me to be.  I was fighting giants!

David is the youngest in his family.  It means that David’s thoughts and feelings do not count; no one asks and no one cares about his perspective or his experience! 

David is dismissed by his family.  They send him away to live and work alone taking care of the family’s sheep.  Instead of hanging out with family and friends, David is fighting off the giant lions and bears that threaten to destroy the sheep.  It is a difficult and dangerous life.  David is fighting giants!

David’s heart is aching for love and acceptance.  Each day he prays and he worships and he sings songs of praise to the Lord God.  Yes, he is young.  Yes, he is small.  Yes, he is cast to the side. 

But, when David feels most unwanted, David discovers that the Lord God accepts and understands and loves him for who he is.  That love of the Lord transforms David’s heart and changes his life.

David steps forward when his family and his friends and his community least expect it.  David steps forward to fight the enemy’s most fierce (and undefeated!) warrior; a giant of a man named “Goliath.” 

David appears to be the most unlikely person to make a difference.  In I Samul 17:33 the Israelite King says to David; “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy…” When David is told he will never measure up, the Lord God uses David to lead the Israelite army to win the battle and deliver the people from oppression.

The Lord God uses hard times like bullying, abandonment, and rejection to draw closer to David.  David responds by praying, worshipping, and singing praise to the Lord God.  When the world seems to revel in withholding acceptance and understanding and love, the Lord God is at work forming and molding and making David into an incredible leader who desires to honor the Lord.

David brings something unusual to battle the giant of oppression; he brings a heart surrendered to the Lord God.  David had learned he could rely on the Lord God when he could not rely on anyone else.  David learned he was loved and accepted by the Lord God when he was convinced no one else cared.  David was able to face his giant with strength and courage!

I imagine you know someone who feels like David when he was watching the family’s flock of sheep.  Your friend might feel afraid, unloved, or misunderstood.  Your friend might feel too small, too young (or old or…), or too inadequate.  You know someone who does not believe there is a future that is bright or there is hope for today.  You know someone who is fighting a giant.

The Lord God has a plan for those who do not feel accepted, understood, and loved today.  The Lord invites us to find our value in Jesus, to find our future in Jesus, and to find our acceptance in Jesus.  Even when the giants seem too big, too strong, and too impossible, Jesus invites us to trust Him.

The good news is Jesus is ready to bless your friend no matter how big the giant they are fighting.  Jesus will use you to help your friend win the victory.  Until the day that victory comes, take delight in God’s goodness, God’s grace, and God’s amazing love.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug