Articles
Facing your Giants
In life, we all have times when we feel overwhelmed. It can be triggered by all types of
events, from things that on a good day would seem insignificant, to major life changing events
that no one could face without difficulty. We have all seen the news in recent weeks and watched
as people have lost their homes, businesses, even their lives. Life has a way of throwing you for
a loop. Have you ever felt a problem was going to squash you like a bug, you felt so
overwhelmed? Our problems can seem giant, unbeatable.
We find in (1 Samuel 17), the story of a young man who faces a giant. David hears
Goliath’s taunts and finds himself surrounded by the men of the Israelite army, and they are
afraid. The Bible even says they ran in fear (1 Samuel 17:24). But, how does David respond?
David focuses on God. “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the
armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). David’s first reaction was not a personal one but, a
God centered one. He sees Goliath’s defiance of God as the problem not the physical threat to
himself. When David finally faces Goliath on the battle field his thoughts are all about God.
David’s words reflect a mindset that we should emulate. David says, “The Lord will hand you
over ... the Lord saves … the battle is the Lord’s”, [and all that is happening is so that] “...the
whole world will know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:46-47).
David remembers his past victories. David is a brave boy that has already faced danger
while taking care of his father’s sheep. David states that he has already killed a lion and bear to
protect the sheep that were in his care (1 Samuel 17:34-37). When faced with challenges David
focuses on the positive times in his life when he was able to overcome other obstacles.
David doesn’t avoid the problem. We see that “David ran quickly toward the battle line
to meet Goliath” (1 Samuel 17:48). When faced with a problem we often want to ignore it, but
the Bible teaches us to face it. A problem left to itself will often fester and grow if we do not
address it quickly. ~ Brad Tolbert
