As I was praying this morning, I was walking back and forth, as I sometimes do, and my eyes settled on a special plate and saucer set mounted on my shelf. It is from the Liberty Blue collection. I acquired these pieces years ago at Goodwill because I loved their aesthetic. Not knowing their value, I only picked up these few pieces and left the others there. And yes, I’m still kicking myself over it today.
I have a fondness for things of the past. If you were to describe the aesthetic of my home, I would call it “cozy vintage.” I love to incorporate things of bygone years into the design of my house. And while my whole home doesn’t emanate this style, there are many pieces that do. They remind me of simpler times. Their beauty, for me, is in the feelings they evoke of a bygone era.
Sadly, all our days of remembering are not filled with such fondness. When we look through our history, there may be experiences and events we wish we could change. Things that we would desire the outcome to be different.
Unfortunately, we cannot undo history. But what we can do is lean into the faithfulness of God and remember how He brought us through.
The Book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah. In it, he expresses his grief and sadness over the now fallen Jerusalem. The people had turned a deaf ear to the warnings of God sent through the mouth of the prophet, and now tragedy has taken hold of the land. Destruction, hurt, and pain are mixed in the rubble of the ruins from the invasion of the enemy. Their future as a nation looks dismal at best.
But then there comes a shift in Jeremiah’s thinking. Something beautiful began to rise in his heart that could not be extinguished by the disaster that surrounded him. And that beautiful uprising is called hope. This prompted him to pen the familiar words of Lamentations 3:21: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.”
Jeremiah could have continued to wallow in sorrow with the belief that their case was beyond help, without hope. Instead, he chose to lean upon the faithfulness of God, Who always gives us a reason to hope. Rather than letting the feelings of dismay and despair overwhelm him and execute their language into his life – in the middle of this rehearsal of the negative, he chose to rewrite the narrative of how he would personally view this story. He chose to interject a praise of the positive, which was the faithfulness of God (Lam. 3:22, 23).
And we can do the same. While there may be hard parts of the story, there is a wonderful part: God Himself. The daily news may be littered with hopelessness, but our story declares that because of God, we still have hope.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope!” Like Jeremiah, we can have a made-up mind to focus on all that God had previously done, remembering how He had moved in times past. Recalling the positives of His faithfulness will help us to store an arsenal of truth for the days ahead.
Here we go again. At the rear end of my backyard stands a wide, tall, bush-like tree extending forward eleven feet, and who knows how many feet wide along the back fence.
Moving into this house, it was one of the drawing factors because it offered complete privacy from the neighbors behind.
But, when a game of playing with any type of ball or frisbee takes place, that flying object will almost always end up lost in the massiveness of this so-called bush tree. Then, it is up to me to try to climb under, or in, or around this massive monster to retrieve the lost object.
It is not as difficult as it sounds (unless you are afraid of bugs and other critters), except the yard behind me has an over-energetic raspberry patch whose branches have wiggled their way through our massive monster, making navigating it harder due to its thorny reach.
Thorns hurt. If you have ever grabbed a branch filled with thorns, or a rose, you know what I mean. If you have accidentally brushed against one of these protruding antagonists, you can feel my pain of having to try to navigate this area and come out unscathed.
But the truth is, my friend, we will not go through this world unscathed. There are going to be things that hurt us. There is suffering we may encounter or thorny places we may have to navigate as we travel this road called life.
Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation…” (John 16:33), yet when afflictions come, we forget these words and those of Peter who said, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you,” (1 Peter 4:12).
Why? Because when it hits us personally, it feels different. It hits too close to home, and we want to shut the doors on them, yet these hard times, these thorny places, seem to find you anyway.
Knowing that it is all a part of our existence and living on this earth does not make it easier. But maybe we can learn from others how they navigated their thorny places.
IN THE BEGINNING
Please know, that when God perfectly created this world, our life was intended to be a garden of peace. We were never supposed to have to deal with thorny places. But because of sin, because of the curse, Adam was told, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…” (Genesis 3:17b-18a).
Where there was no sorrow, now sorrow exists. Where there were no thorny places, now they have come forth making what we have to do here harder than God ever intended.
PAUL’S THORN
The Apostle Paul knew personally about thorns.
Paul’s resume is doubtless impressive. In addition to having authored two-thirds of the New Testament – his missionary journeys, works, and miracles allowed him to not only see things but also inthe supernatural workings of the Lord in his life.
Through it all, he could have boasted (Philippians 3:4-6), yet he stated in Philippians 3:8, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord… and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”
After rehearsing the measure of suffering he had endured for the ministry (2 Corinthians 11:22-29), he stated, “If I must needs glory, I will glory in the things which concern mine infirmities,” (2 Corinthians 11:30).
Although he experienced “visions and revelations of the Lord” (2 Co. 12:1), some where he was “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Co. 12:2), “into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Co. 12:4), he knew it would be a foolish thing to boast (2 Co. 12:5,6).
As if to draw a line in the sand, Paul was given “a thorn in the flesh” to prevent any measure of self-exaltation that would cross the lines of humility and usefulness where he stood.
Jesus taught in parables regarding thorns that would encumber and choke one’s progress in the word of God “through cares and riches and pleasures of this life” preventing them from coming to a place of fruitfulness (Luke 8:14).
It would seem as though, for Paul’s spiritual benefit, a thorn was used to keep him in a place of fruitfulness rather than from it.
THE THORNS OF JESUS
Thorns are not easy for anybody to bear with. Through the humiliation and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, before His crucifixion, as if to add insult to injury, He was given thorns that would tear into His literal flesh: “And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,” (Mark 15:17).
His thorns were not to keep Him from being exalted, for God would ensure His name is exalted above every name (Philippians 2:9-11). Anything revolving around the crucifixion and the cross, including the thorns, was to identify with and for the man (humans) He came to save, and to be obedient to the will of God, although being equal with God, Himself (Philippians 2:6-8).
Hebrews confirms that Jesus felt and experienced the fullness of humanity (yet without sin) while maintaining His full deity (Hebrews 4:15). That includes the sufferings that came with it all, and the thorns as well.
When trying to move through the difficulties of life, how do we do it? It is always easier to tell one about what they’re going through and what they should do, but the hows of knowing a way to move through these prickly patches is a whole other story.
Thankfully, the Bible and the lives of how these two thorn-bearers handled the inflictions upon them can help.
LEAN ON GOD’S SPIRITUAL SUPPORT SYSTEM
The same God who has been with you is the same God whose grace sustains you.
From Paul, we learn a lot about this. Although he prayed, as many would, for the thorn to be removed, God’s answer was for His best plan to be carried out in Paul’s life. And to do that, as uncomfortable and burdensome Paul may view it the thorn must remain.
Even though the thorn was to remain, God gave Paul an answer we can all glean comfort from when we are dealing with our own protruding antagonists: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
We will never have all the answers to the ins and outs and the behind-the-scenes going on in our lives. But we have God, the only true living God, who supplies us with sufficient grace through it all.
God gave him the spiritual support he needed to go through these troubles in the form of grace. He didn’t answer the prayer in the way that Paul prayed for it, but he was guaranteed that in all that he was encountering, God had a heavenly supply that would keep him in his most useful state.
So often we pray to be useful for God’s kingdom, and yet, the way it comes out may not be at all like we imagined. But just because we didn’t imagine it this way, doesn’t mean God can’t use it. Because He can, my friend. He can.
God told Paul, “For my strength is made perfect in weakness.” When we think we don’t have much to give. When we compare our journey to this and that and feel like we come up short, we may be in the exact spot where God can manifest His strength the most.
If we think we have all the answers, as long as we can find sufficiency in ourselves and in our own strength, it is easy to lean on that. It is not until we know that without Him, I would fail. Not until we see and rely on God as our all-in-all, can He get the most out of us.
Therefore, Paul’s response was most appropriate: “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong,” 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10).
Paul doesn’t celebrate or take pleasure in pain, rather he settles himself in them because of the useful state it allows him to remain in before God. It’s as if to say regardless of where this leads or what I must endure, I’m choosing to continue in this ministry and leave the outcome to God.
COMMIT IT INTO THE HANDS OF GOD
And for Christ, as He hung on the cross with the crown of thorns upon His head, and saw the angry stares of the people, with their jeering and angry words hurled at Him, He committed the whole process of the cross into the hands of God.
He refused to relieve Himself from it. He refused to back down. He persevered through the pain.
When they entered Gethsemane to arrest Him, He could have escaped. Before they laid one stripe upon His back, He could have called down blindness upon His prosecutors as the angels did at the door of Lot (Genesis 19:10-14). Before one nail inserted itself into the flesh that would die for all humankind, He could have stopped it but that would not have been in the will of God.
So, regardless of the cost, the pain, and the persecution, Jesus committed it all to God’s hand and submitted to His holy will: “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). That included the whole package deal of the cross, including every single thorn God wanted Him to feel and wear.
And through His submission came our salvation.
When we release it all into God’s hands, we know it is in a place where it won’t fail from His purpose. God can do perfectly in one moment what we struggle and strive for our entire lives to accomplish.
The pain of thorny places may make us feel like our world is spinning out of control. But anything committed into the hands of God will come out the way He orders it, even if it doesn’t look or feel like we think it should.
We all deal with thorns, but it doesn’t mean we are in a place of disfavor. It could very well be that we are in a place of maximum usefulness. Where we see weakness, God may see His strength overcoming it. Where we see thorns, it may be a place where God wants to perform a great work in you.
When traveling through familiar places in our past, we often encounter landmarks, buildings, spaces, people, or things that remind us of certain events or times in our lives.
My mother and I one day traveled down roads and through neighborhoods we had not visited together since I was a kid. As we drove, we pointed out buildings over here and over there that held special memories. We laughed as we remembered, asking each, “Do you remember when…?” when pointing to other spaces.
It was literally our chance to drive down memory lane. Although it took us longer to reach our intended destination, the joy we experienced in traveling through these memories made it more than worthwhile.
In life, I often come upon places, things, persons, or even situations that will spark a memory in my heart, a memory of deliverance. Whatever it is that initiated that spark, the thought of “I remember when…” comes, and I cannot help but stop and thank God for the way He brought me through or stood by my side during that situation.
In the Bible, places were named and marked for various things, including those deliverance moments. In Joshua 4, stones were gathered from the midst of the Jordan by some of the men of Israel, one from each tribe, after the people crossed over on dry ground. The purpose was, “That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever,” (4:6, 7).
Those stones were gathered to remember a moment of God’s deliverance on behalf of His people.
As we encounter things, people, or moments that jar a memory of God’s moving deliverance on our behalf, take a moment to thank God for where He brought you from and what He brought you through, and use that memory to reassure your heart in the faithfulness of our God today. He who has traveled with you in those moments is with you now in these moments of today.
Father God, thank You for all the times of deliverance You have provided in my life. Thank You for all the moments I can reflect and see where Your hand and power have stepped in for my cause and worked on my behalf. There are multiple times when You have kept me from seen and unseen dangers. Thank You for all of those deliverances time and time again. Thank You for Your keeping power, strength, mercy, grace, and help at work for me. Your faithfulness has been so real and I just want to bless Your holy name for continuing to travel with me through this life. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, AMEN.
Text Free Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com
“And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” 2 Samuel 5:24, NKJV
Have you ever seen one of those action movies where the characters involved in a grand scheme or plan must synchronize their watches to ensure everyone is moving at the right time?
When a big feat is to take place, it is good to make sure everyone is on the same page and moving at the proper time.
That’s what proper planning does. It views the many angles of the story, not just the present or temporary moments, but all the moments included, and it determines when the best time is to do A, B, or C.
On the opposite end of this spectrum is impulsiveness. It doesn’t always take every matter into account and consider all the possibilities. It tends to move forward hastily, and sometimes prematurely.
Sometimes it is hard to determine the difference between impulsiveness, instincts, and zeal, but there is a difference.
When David finally became king, not just recognized as king in Hebron, but over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-3), there were still yet contentions he faced, including their long-time enemy, the Philistines.
If you will remember, David had great success as a youth in slaying their most prominent warrior, Goliath (1 Samuel 17). But during the time between that battle and the one facing the Philistines here in 2 Samuel 5, David experienced many other inner and outer battles along the way.
In that, he grew not only in stature but in ability. Through his fearlessness, faith, and fervor, he became a much-feared warrior and king.
But David didn’t allow his previous accomplishments to cause him to rest on his laurels.
There were still battles to fight and enemies to conquer, so David pursued and engaged – but not without God’s guidance.
He could have chalked up his previous victories as the all-encompassing plan to win all his battles, but he didn’t.
And that’s a good thing because, with each battle he faced God gave him different directions on how to gain a successful ending.
Here in chapter 5, in one battle David was instructed to “go up” (v. 19), and in the other, he was told to “circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines” (Vv. 23, 24, NKJV; emphasis added).
This was going to be the battle of battles with the Philistines. After this event, they would no longer be a threat to Israel. But to get there, David had to wait for the right time.
Back to our opening illustration of synchronization, time is everything. But the caveat to that is, that the way we view time and the way God views time is vastly different (2 Peter 3:8).
Twice in verse 24, you see the word “then,” with God giving specific instructions on when David is to make his move. Any time outside the premise of that “then,” was not his moment to advance.
If David wanted to ensure success, he had to synchronize his move with God’s “then,” with God’s timing.
While zeal, fervor, and experience are great, if it’s out of alignment with God’s moment to progress, it won’t work.
Our God works specifically and in order. And more often than not, His design will not be on our timetable.
As infinite as He is, so are His plans and abilities, and through it all, taking the omniscient view of our lives, He knows when, where, and how something should be done.
But it is when we fight with impatience and frustration, when we can’t see it moving or how it will turn out, we find ourselves in precarious situations or wanting to give up altogether.
We don’t want “then,” we want now!
Instant victory. Instant gratification. And instant applause and promotion.
But when we pause at the “then” moments, we are simultaneously taking that occasion to learn how God is leading and giving Him room to work.
Listen for the sound of God’s moving.
This was David’s experience. Not until he heard the marching in the tops of the mulberry trees was it safe for him to proceed regardless of his personal abilities or how he previously won battles.
My friend, God has a specific plan for you. One drawn up and orchestrated out of His divine love. Do not rush ahead of God. He has an appointed time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1; Habakkuk 2:3).
Learning to wait for your “then” moments requires trust which is why Proverbs famously reminds us to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6).
We will never have the full understanding God does for our lives (Isaiah 55:8,9), but what we can have is our trust and belief that He is perfect, His ways are perfect, and God knows what He is doing.
I don’t know what marching in the tops of mulberry trees audibly sounds like, but I do know what it sounds like in our lives of faith: waiting.
Waiting, patience, and being still when everything says go is hard. But if that going is not marked by God’s stamp of approval, it will all be for nothing.
And if you are longing for me to give you specifics or signs or systems to find out how to know when your “then” moment is, I can’t.
Our Heavenly Father has a perfect timeline for everyone’s life, and He only can tell you when it’s your time to advance.
In the meantime, you may have to do one of the hardest things – continue to wait, continue to have patience, and continue to be still.
In these moments of not going, let them be filled with the activity of seeking God, seeking His face and His perfect will for your life. Let them be filled with drawing ever nearer to His presence and learning to recognize and become more familiar with His moving in your own life.
Then, when you figuratively hear the marching in the tops of the mulberry trees (or by whatever means that you beyond a shadow of a doubt know it’s God’s prompting and leading you), you will know that your time has come, and you can advance forward successfully.
That second “then” assured David that by following God’s way, He was the one going before him. And whatever we are doing, above all else, this is how we should want to win our victories: following God’s ways and Him going with us.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11
“O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
Psalm 22 is known by all as the Messianic psalm prophesied of and quoted by Jesus Christ as He died and gave up His life for all mankind on that old rugged cross.
In the tragedy that would occur on Calvary, David tucks in this verse describing God dwelling in the place where His people praise Him.
If you are living a life of praising God, then no matter what circumstance you face, you are drawn near in heart and soul to Him, and the peace of His presence is never far from you.
One psalmist once declared, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” Psalm 34:19, knowing that at the end of his course, victory was on the other side.
But on this side of life, we may still face many challenges and difficulties we are not keen on. For the very word tells of the distress it brings in one’s life. But it is in the midst of these struggles the individual must train themselves where the thoughts of their heart will lie: in the bosom of God’s faithfulness, or in the logic of human thinking.
The first would always be the winning choice regardless of one’s current condition, for in the bosom of God’s faithfulness, these moments of hardships, with the tears and turmoil they may possess, give way and make room to be refreshed in the fire by the God who will step in with you – to have one’s heart lifted with peace above the circumstance because praise has elevated you.
Oh, my friends, praise is powerful! Praise can lift you from the deepest pit and the direst of occasions. Though physically one may not experience the immediate relief they long for, but when our thoughts and intents of heart are transferred from viewing the troubles before us to the faithful God who has always been with us, we are raised by the power of His presence in the midst of the storm.
Naturally, we may be down, but inside we rise to the place where His glory dwells. Inside, we seem to soar into the heavenlies, leaving the cares of this world behind.
“O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel,” will He not also come near to you and me when we sequester ourselves with Him, lean upon His bosom of faithfulness, and just praise.
Tears may mingle there, but let praise be not absent.
Cares may be cast there but let not the Hallelujah’s be silenced.
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1
“O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people” Psalm 117:1. You do not have to be Israel’s biological child to praise the LORD. The heart of the saint, His redeemed one, crying out, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6) knows that “praise is comely for the upright” (Psalm 33:1) no matter who they are or where they hail from.
“Give unto the LORD the glory due his name…” Psalm 29:2
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:” Psalm 92:1
We may not be before the ark decorated with cherubim, but we can come before the “Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in times of need” (Hebrews 4:16) which is decorated with His undeniable glory.
And while there before that place of His presence, let us not just ask from Him, but let us offer to God our genuine, heartfelt praise.
Difficulties, struggles, and hurts – with great compassion for the trials some face, I will never downplay their experience. But according to Job, regardless of our present experience, we can still find a place of praise, for he said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” Job 1:21.
“Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.” Psalm 113
Winners and success stories, how often do we study their lives, habits, and choices to open a window to the possibility of implementing something in our lives that will benefit us.
Unfortunately, as the case usually goes, many examples come from a different direction or perspective in which we view life or in the course we want to take. Therefore, we will glean our lesson from the trusted source of God’s Word.
With that, we will look closely at the old familiar story of David versus Goliath. At the beginning of this story, the prospective winner has already been determined in the minds of those on both sides who attended that battle, and David is not their choice for a victor.
When Goliath was viewed, the world saw in him what they considered to be the ideal champion. They took into consideration his height, strength, weapons, and experience at war (1 Samuel 17:4-7, 33) and made what they thought was an accurate determination.
But across the Elah Valley, there was one whose stature and outward appearance weren’t as impressive, at least not to those who had drawn up for the standoff. He was considered meddlesome and nosy by even his brother (v. 28), too small and inexperienced for the fight.
What they did not consider was the unflinching faith David possessed on the inside. What they could not see about David was what marked him as a true champion for that time, and ages to come.
David possessed an uncommon confidence. (Vv. 23-32)
What do I mean by uncommon confidence? It really is as simple as it sounds. David’s character produced in him the ability to believe, to have an assurance that could not be matched by those around him. It is what caused him to stand out as someone uniquely special among the thousands gathered.
Taking the scene in perspective, daily the Israelites were challenged in their own faith through the tool named Goliath. As warriors dotted the landscape, when this massive man appeared, the men of Israel disappeared.
Physically they believed that they were no match to compete and win against this giant.
David, on the other hand, cared not for the man’s size or boast. His disdain for him was voiced when he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26).
There was no flinching or fear in his actions or voice. He was 100% ready to confront this enemy and be done with him and his army: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (v. 32).
It takes an uncommon, extraordinary faith to see something or someone so big and choose to not focus on it.
David saw the same thing those around him saw, but he chose to process what he saw through a different filter: faith.
As the rest cowered in fear, David stepped up and offered to do what no one else, not even the king, was willing to do.
Foolhardy youth? No.
The seed of faith planted in him grew greater than any fear this foe hoped to instill. David knew who he belonged to, and he knew who he served.
Uncommon confidence bypasses the scene before one’s eyes and focuses on Who is really in charge.
David refuses the voice of doubt. (Vv. 33-37)
It is always your choice what you will allow in your hearing and your heart.
Doubt will speak if you give it a voice. Open the door just a little, and it will consume the whole room.
When David stated his declaration to fight the giant, the very next words he heard were, “Thou art not able…” (v. 33).
Talk about letting the air out of the balloon. But words such as these people hear all the time. Even if they don’t present themselves in the same wording, the idea arises to discourage and draw one’s attention to the can’t’s of life: you can’t do this because…, you are not able due to …
These “can’t” phrases can rob you of the hope to push past what you see, and if David had allowed, Saul’s words would have done just that and prohibited his progress against this enemy.
But David refused. Instead of words of improbability and fear, he leaned on his experience with God, which he already had (vv. 34-37).
David had been delivered by God through unbelievable situations before when encountering a bear and a lion. Both animals, I dare say, would even put Goliath to flight had he come upon them.
Ferocious as they were, they, nor Goliath, can outmatch God. David knew that God was the one who delivered him before, and He believed with his whole heart that He would do it again.
David refuses to fight like others fought. (Vv. 38-46)
Experience is a great teacher and there are things we can learn from the wisdom of others who have fought the battles of this life before us.
But Saul was at a standstill in his faith. Not only did he lack it in the progression toward Goliath, but also in the way he expected David to fight.
He wanted David to wear something that wasn’t designed for him.
David wasn’t built like Saul – not in body or belief. So, he couldn’t fight like Saul would fight.
God has blessed each of us with our own unique style and gifts to carry forth in faith. God knows each one individually and has blessed each one with individuality.
The way He chooses to work in or through another should not cause us to neglect what He has placed in us.
This is a strong part of the faith lesson.
David could have shrunk back in comparison because he did not fit Saul’s design, but he didn’t. He worked what God gave him, how God gave it to him.
Comparing our abilities against the line of another’s calling will not only diminish your faith, but it can bring you to a total standstill as it did Saul.
Devoid of armor not fit for him, David, with stones in his hand, pronounced with faith to the Philistine: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied” (v. 45).
When David stepped on that battlefield, the real weapon he stepped up with was not found in his hand, but in his heart. It was a faith that Saul and the rest of Israel’s army lacked in their arsenal.
That’s why we can’t compare; it’s always the part of the fight that we cannot see that matters the most: the inside part.
David’s faith takes a stand and believes in God’s deliverance. (Vv. 46-48).
Jesus once spoke in rebuke to the Pharisees, saying, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34), and Proverbs instructs, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (4:23).
Those in the camp of the Israelites, their hearts were cowered in fear. But David’s heart brought him face to face with Goliath.
Unflinchingly, he took a stand, but he didn’t take a stand on his own merit. He took his stand based on what he believed in his heart about God: He is faithful.
David said, “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands” (Vv. 46-47).
In David’s heart, he knew this was not about him or what he could bring to the fight. “The battle is the LORD’s!”
Our hearts are considered to be the very center of our being. And in that center, David made sure God was the center.
In his life and in his fight, not himself, his circumstances, wants or desires were brought to the forefront. No, but the Lord God Almighty was his focal point.
Are we moving forward with hesitant steps because God is not the center of our progress?
True faith will always be a heart issue. With that, he moved forth in complete confidence: “David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine” (v. 48).
Where others hesitated, David quickened his steps – again, with no backing down. His heart would not accept decrease, but it seemed at every avenue he traveled in his life, his heart of faith grew more and more because he sought to put God in the center more and more.
David used his personal gifting. (Vv. 49-50)
Earlier we discussed David refusing armor that was not fit for him. Here, we focus on what is.
David had a unique way that he would face his giant, and it was going to be by using something small and seemingly insignificant.
Many struggle with their individual giftings. Compared to others, it may not seem big enough, influential enough, or polished enough. “If I could just _______, I would be able to _______” (you fill in the blank).
Every believer is gifted by God. But every believer may be gifted differently. When David stepped out with his little stones, I wondered what the onlookers thought.
To him, it didn’t matter. What mattered was being himself before God. This was his design. This was his gift. This is what he knew how to do well.
In a world surrounded by trends and social media, it takes bravery to be yourself. You will never succeed at being anyone but you.
Use what God gave you in faith, no matter how small it appears, and leave the results to Him.
Faith wins. (v. 51)
Little David slew the big giant. Not because he was smarter or stronger, but because every step he took in the process was a step of faith.
When any questioning arose or doubt was uttered, David continued forth in faith. He never gave the space of his heart permission to think about or adhere to anything else.
Some of our favorite faith verses remind us that: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), and “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Together, these tell us what faith is and what faith does: it goes on and believes God regardless of what is seen or not seen. And that’s what David did. He didn’t have faith, which was just talked about. His faith moved him into action to do something despite how the circumstances appeared.
Father God is in the business of stretching our faith. Bringing us to places or before situations we may view as strange, unimaginable tasks to conquer. He has something He wants to fulfill on the other side of that stretching moment but we, like David, must commit to the follow through in faith.
Faith is the access key to everything God wants to do in our lives.
Is your faith being stirred for more today? What are some hindrances to growing your personal faith?
Walking in faith and choosing to follow God by faith will carry you further than your own plans ever will.
But don’t be surprised if the victory you are anticipating comes in a way that you least expect it. Often God’s view of how something is or is to be will look much different than our own.
Nevertheless, David felt prompted to move on God’s behalf because of his sold-out relationship with God. He approached Goliath with an all-in attitude.
Retreating was never an option in his book. And even though David would go on to face other challenges (such as being on the run from King Saul), he still had space in his heart and repertoire to pen the words that would encourage himself and many hearts through fearsome trials, saying, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
That is faith language at its best. But remember, David backed his talk up with action. He lived a life operating with an all-in faith and you can, too.
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As I write these articles and begin the editing process, it will sometimes require me to go through old photos to post with the article. Often, I come across times of family events, vacations, and the like and in my mind, I am allowed to momentarily relive and remember those precious moments.
Today is a good day for reflection. It may be Monday and the beginning of the week, or it may be a Wednesday, a Friday, or a Sunday, but if we just take a moment to think about God’s goodness and where He has brought us from, oh, the impact that would have for this day! The remembrance of His holy protection and love that has carried us this far could ignite a fire of passion inside us to do more, to be more, and to come up to where He wants us more.
The status quo goes into these given days’ business as usual. We can enter with a refreshed spirit and a new mindset because we remember, and our past has already testified that God has been there for us. So far, we have survived everything we have been through, and it is because of His power, His grace, and His mercy that has been directing and covering us. No, the path hasn’t always been easy. But we are here today because of the love of God at work in our lives and the belief that He has so much more in store for us.
Remembering and reflecting on the old days would reassure our hearts and souls that no matter what I am facing today, God is still faithful. Looking back reminds us, that He didn’t bring us this far to leave us. Recalling His goodness tells us, that if He did it once, He’ll do it again. The mindset is our God is able, He has before, and He will again be there for us through it all.
Today has just started, but because of the God in our lives, we can already see a victorious end. This day might be brand new, but it’s not new to Him. He has our days numbered. We are in His thoughts. He knows all about us, and it is in Him we rest and believe for so much more. The journey of our soul will keep pushing ahead because we believe God has held us thus far, and He will hold us through today as well.
“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
“Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;” Job 29:2
Have you ever experienced these same thoughts that Job expressed? Have difficult times ever made you look back to times when you felt everything in your world was right? When adversity strikes and we deal with things we do not understand, I am sure many of us like Job take our mind’s eye to those past days when trouble wasn’t knocking on our door.
The difficulty of the days he was presently in caused Job to look at those previous times as times of favor, saying, that’s when “God preserved me”. But now, his expressions tell a different story of what his feelings are feeling. His troubles caused him to think that just because he was going through adversity, God was not as presently with him as before.
Little did Job know, and many times we need to be reminded, that just as God was with us in the good times, so too is He with us in the troubling times. It may look different than we are used to seeing it, and it may feel different, but just because we don’t understand and may question it, it doesn’t negate the fact that God is presently near, watching, and keeping His people.
Jesus taught, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).
A bird sold is not forgotten before God, and neither was Job, and neither are you. Our value before God is so precious and more than we could ever imagine. The clouds that come during those dark days may try to hide that fact, but the truth of God’s Word is a fact, that no matter how we feel or how hard it may seem, God is still there for us. Even if you are dealing with hurtful situations and even if you feel like you have been wronged, God’s loving eyes see and His precious hands are working behind the scenes, holding you, loving on you, and valuing you when others may not.
Difficult times are difficult because they are not easy. During these times, see Him with eyes of faith. See that He is still with you and that you have not been left in this alone (Hebrews 13:5). Take your cares, your disappointments, your hurts, and your discouragements to God in prayer. He is there listening. And trust me, He does care.
Just because it hurts it does not mean He’s not feeling what you are feeling (Hebrews 4:15). And just because we can’t figure out all this stuff, God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and we must trust Him with it, and with all the times in between.
God is here for you today, God is here. Regardless of what you feel or are going through, you are not forgotten.
“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.” Isaiah 49:15
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“If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;” Deuteronomy 7:17-18
Is there something overwhelming before you? Are there new boundaries that you are looking to breach? Has fear caused you to miss out on the best that God has for you?
The children of Israel could have answered yes to all these questions. Forty years prior, they had a chance to enter the Promised Land. They had a chance to possess everything the Lord had in store for them. But they missed out.
A bad report from some unbelieving spies rendered the people’s resolve for the fight useless (Numbers 13:32). What they saw as an overwhelming obstacle and what they believed in their heart about themselves (Numbers 13:33) not only affected them, but their negativity spread throughout the entire camp (Numbers 14:1-3).
Because of this, they were made to turn away from what could have been, and they were forced to return to the wilderness of what was.
Approaching the verses above, they now are being prepared, forty years later, to take another shot at their promise. Moses, in reiterating all the commands of God before they enter, is also teaching them how to overcome any doubts and fears they may have about possessing their promise.
Their fathers couldn’t enter because of unbelief (Hebrews 4:1-3), but Moses wanted this generation to make it. He wanted them to gain everything God has for them.
They couldn’t do that if they didn’t remember. Remember who was on their side (Psalm 118:6). Remember who it was that was fighting for them (Deuteronomy 3:22).
Moses instructs them, when they cross over and when what’s before them seems to be too much for them – when they cross over and that whisper of fear begins to speak, he tells them to remember. Remember what God has already done and draw strength from those victories.
We may not be trying to dispossess nations to obtain a Promised Land, but in trying to progress or move forward into our own promises, we can let fear stop us. When we look across the borders of what can be, sometimes it seems daunting. Overwhelming. Down-right impossible.
In those times, we would do well to follow Moses’ advice: remember. Remember what God has already done.
You have your own testimonies of God’s faithfulness and workings in your own life. You have areas where His help stood out because of the circumstance you were facing. You have those moments when He spoke to your heart during desperate times, showed you His love, or ushered a victory in for you.
Remember those moving’s of God’s might in your life. Draw strength from His faithfulness and go and possess your promise.
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