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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