Tuesday, April 17, 2012

April 18, 2012

"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. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”  I Samuel 17:45-47

What should I expect of God? I can show you what David expected. He expected that God put a giant in front of him so he could demonstrate that He is a giant God!

The old saying. "The bigger they are the harder they fall" certainly applies to God. Some powerful enemies have opposed Him and He stands undefeated. According to what I read in the back of the Book, He will remain undefeated for ever!

How did it happen that David looked at Goliath and said, "He is too big to miss, when all the other soldiers were thinking 'he is too big to fight'!"

That is THE big question, isn't it?

Here are a couple of obvious answers from reading this story.

First, David spent his time focusing on God while Saul and his soldiers had been focused on Goliath. It matters where you fix your focus!

David, as a shepherd, spent his days watching sunrises and sunsets and full moons and constellations of stars. His constant focus was on the beauty and grandeur of God! The more you gaze at God, the better He looks!

As for the Army of Israel, they had been subjected to the sights and sounds of a seriously large and loud Philistine warrior. Seeing this imposing enemy while listening daily to his taunts and curses had taken a toll on their faith and taken their focus off God.

Is there a giant hovering over your life? Has it taken a toll on your faith? Have you found yourself more focused on that giant than on God?

Second, David's expectations of God came out of his personal experience with God. All the time he had spent with God in the remote areas where he tended sheep had allowed him to get to know God well. When he was lonely and called upon God, God came. When he was frightened and called upon God, strength and courage came. When a lion attacked his flock, God's power came and enabled him to slay the lion. And when a bear came after his sheep, he was given a godly strength to kill the bear.

Because David had learned to trust God in his private battles, he found it easy to trust God in this public confrontation.

You expectations of God will reveal a lot about your experience with Him. If you are losing in your personal spiritual battles you will have difficulty racheting up your expectations against your giant.

Where do you need to trust Him in your personal battles? Where is the focus of your life?

Giants can fall in your life if God stands tall in your life. David proved it! Will you?