May 2018
God. It could be your sexual life or honesty or relationship or whatever. If you want God to make you an open witness, first deal with your closed areas. Only then you can prove yourself publicly( vv34, 35). Defeat in private life means defeat in public life.
David was not only developing his physical muscles behind the curtain, but also his spiritual muscles. God was training his arms for war by handson experiences( 2 Sam 22:35). It was a slow, gradual and hidden process. But a time came for David to face a public challenge and he was undaunted because his past experiences came in handy. He was confident with utter disdain that Goliath would be like the bear or lion. It was like a mouse declaring war against a lion and the odds of David winning were astronomical.
Soon you will face the Goliaths of your life. It could be a trial, choosing a PG course or a career or anything else. God has given you enough training. Now you must face the giant boldly. It will be a test of your faith. Don ' t try worldly methods like David trying out Saul ' s armour. The sling and the stone was best for David. Go by God ' s method in prayer and faith( vv38-42).
I don ' t think David was inwardly bold. He must have been trembling and praying,“ Oh, my God, I am only a boy. This man is a warrior. Without your help I cannot defeat him. Please don ' t let me down. Please act on my behalf,” He was in no way super human. It is always like that when we face Goliaths in life. But be sure, the Lord will fight your battles( v45).
Whatever we do in life, the ultimate motive should be that the whole world should know the true and living God( v46). Whether we study or work or earn or marry or whatever, our one goal should be to make our Lord known to the world.
You have to live life all the way, take risks and do things you can ' t imagine. You must expect miracles in life. David brought down Goliath by a stone which was a scientific fact. The stone hit Goliath at the right spot. Polka dots swam in front of Goliath ' s eyes and he swooned and died. So David ran and cut off his head with Goliath ' s own sword. Miracles should be an everyday part of our life.“ It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord ' s”( v47).
Once the victory was won the Israelites plundered the enemy camp. But David did not go for material gain. He was after the Philistine ' s head and weapons. Once we start going after worldly gain, our enemy will have his heyday( v53,54). The world and its riches will attract you in many ways. Never fall for it. They will perish but the Lord ' s glory will stand forever.
David became an instant celebrity and was catapulted from obscurity to limelight. But God would not want him to exalt himself. So He let David go through a major blow. Saul cheated him. Instead of giving his daughter Merab to David, he got her married to somebody else. May be David was walking around in a rapture, dreaming about Merab. He must have felt like being punched in the solar plexus. He would have seen her during his stay in Saul ' s house and he would have built a dream castle when he heard Saul ' s promise. Now it lay crumbled at his feet. He endured the excruciating pain. It is solacing to see that the greatest things in the world come from suffering and the most beautiful things arise from disappointments and struggles.
What did David do? Contemplate suicide? Throw acid on Merab or Saul? Stage a dharna in front of Saul ' s house? When you recognize yourself starting to glide into one of the mind traps, steady yourself. David quietly accepted the vacuum, the hole, the blackness left by the disappointment; for he trusted God to give him the best( 18:19,20).
This generation exhibits a thirst for instant gratification. A Chinese proverb goes like this:“ When the winds of change blow, some people build
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