1 Samuel 17
Today, we have before us the story of David and Goliath. There seems to be three attributes that tend to show themselves throughout this account. They are humility, trust, and confidence...in that order. Out of these three, humility is the only one not shared by both parties—David and Goliath. Both have shown forth confidence and trust, but see, it does matter what the source of that trust and confidence is. Goliath, a picture of the devil—the enemy—stood tall, but his foundation was one of selfish clamor and boasting, whereas David, a childlike servant of the one True God, placed his trust in that One that he served. "David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and...the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee." (vs. 37)
I believe this story was meant to be a guide for us, in this day, when the world is so extremely vocal about telling people to show strength and confidence, and never lean on another soul—not even God Himself. If we can't find strength in a mighty God, then where will we find it? Just look at what happened to Goliath. He was one who relied on whatever he had within himself, and promising to crush a young, tender worshiper of God, ended up falling to the ground, surrounded by the dust of his own "strength."
I believe we can, like David, crush armies and giants, when we fix our gaze on the One who gave us breath. There will never be another we will be able to trust more...and all of this promise starts with humility, mere childlike trust. Just think, a true mother or father always provides strong arms for the child to lean on, and that is just how God is with His own children. Sometimes we walk away from Him, go on our own, and say "I can take it from here." In doing that, we are actually telling Him that we don't need Him. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can bow to Him and say, "I have nothing in me, but You have all", and He will lovingly say, "I can take it from here, the battle is mine." (vs. 47)
May God bless you deeply this Christmas season, and may the strong arm of God, our Lord, be surrounding you. May we all know the blessing in the confidence that our Father knows best, and He can take it from here. Merry Christmas!
~ Kara H. Frantz
