Giant Slayer

Read: 2 Samuel 17

And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth…So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him.                                                                       2 Samuel 17:33,50

     The “David and Goliath” analogy has been around in sports for quite some time. One team seems to have all the best equipment, specialized staff, newest technology, and highest rated players. The other team is usually at the other end of the spectrum. They have no big-name players, they have old equipment, and they usually lack the organization that leads to greatness. The little “David” team is the one that statistically should get smashed by the “Goliath.” Goliath is not scared of what David can do to him because, by all outward appearances, David shouldn’t have a chance. That champion versus underdog analogy came directly from the story found in the Bible. 2 Samuel reminds us that David was just a young man when he stood up to Goliath’s blasphemy against the God of Israel. Any soldier watching that day, from either side, would have expected to see David broken in half by a man as massive and brawny as Goliath. Heft and brawn do not account for everything, though; David proved that when he slew Goliath and then lifted his severed head in victory. The giants don’t always win.

Every day there will be giants to face that seem as if they cannot be beaten. Some young people will face the giant of doubt – they will wonder if they are really saved. Some will face the giant of loneliness or of despair. Still others will face the giant of addiction or struggle with sin. There is a never-ending troop of giants that will continually invade the serenity of everyday life, seemingly just to make life difficult. God never intended for us to sit idly by and let the giants overtake our lives, crushing any dreams of a beautiful relationship with our Heavenly Father. He has built within each of us a desire and a means to slay those giants. In order to win the victory, however, we must do as David did. He finally became so disgusted with Goliath’s boasting that he summoned God’s strength and defeated the giant that no one thought would ever fall.

And God offers to each of us that same strength. Most people cower in fear of the giants because they have not the faith to believe that God can help them overcome. He is waiting for us to become so appalled by the sin that hurts His heart that we finally stand up to the giant and say, “Enough is enough.” God is just waiting for young men to step up so He can use them to prove that “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Are you willing to stand up and be a giant slayer?

Quote of the day: “Man says, “Show me and I’ll trust you.” God says, “Trust me and I’ll show you.”