Thursday, February 26, 2026

          Goliath.  The name alone conjures up some fear and anxiousness.  Just the sound of Goliath sounds intimidating and threatening.  This Philistine strongman stood over nine feet tall.  The shaft of his spear weighed about fifteen pounds.  He would have easily defeated anybody at Wrestlemania and would have won the WWE Royal Rumble.  Nobody in Israel’s army wanted to face him on the battlefield. Nobody wanted anything to do with him.  Ever! The Bible says, “Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.’ Then the Philistine said, ‘This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other’” (1 Samuel 17:8-10).  And Goliath continued this taunting and trash-talking every morning and evening for forty, long days.  No one in Israel answered the challenge.
            And then along came David.  He volunteered to fight Goliath.  He was not the most likely choice.  He was young and inexperienced.  No one would have drafted him to fight for the honor of Israel.  But David was surprisingly wise for his years and knew something crucially important.  He knew the battle belonged to the Lord.  He was confident that God would provide for him during that battle with Goliath.  He knew God would sustain him and grant him victory.  David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).  David gave the battle to the Lord and trusted God with the outcome.  He was confident because God had taken care of him in the past and he knew God would remain faithful in the battle against Goliath.  It can be a blessing for us to remember where we have experienced the goodness and power of God in the past.  Those memories can often help us remember that God can bless us in the present times as well and the new battles that we face.  Our past encounters with God become sources of strength for the present and future battles that we face. 
            We can experience giants in life too.  There are times when we are staring at a Goliath that seems so big, so opposing and so invincible.  In those times, we remember what David knew to be true.  The battle is the Lord’s.  He will provide.  “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied’” (1 Samuel 17:45).  We face the pressures and giants of life the same way today. We have an unflinching faith that God will provide.  God will show us the pathway to follow.  God will make a way for us.  The God we love and serve is ABLE.  He is able to forgive our sins, to change our hearts and to give us new life.  He is able to sustain us by the promises we find in the Bible.  He is able to place a hedge of protection over us and against the enemy.
            The blessings that the Lord gives us as we face giants in life are far greater than the usual weapons of this world.  We possess His Word, the presence of the Holy Spirit living within us, His many promises never to forsake us, the power of prayer and the confidence that all things work together for the good of those who know and love the Lord (Romans 8:28).  When David fought Goliath, he was a shepherd boy.  But he was wise enough to know that he had a Shepherd too—the Good Shepherd who is the Lord Himself.  We should follow the example of David and remind ourselves that God will take care of us.  If we are part of God’s family through our faith in God’s Son, we will be taken care of and provided for in those daily battles that we experience.  We can be confident of this.  Keep three words in your mind and heart—God is able.  Have a great Thursday!