Giants Of Life Reduced To "Iddie Biddie"!

"The Goliaths of life" ~ we all have them, we've all been there, at sometime or another!
"A Goliath" is something that is BIGGER than ourselves, something that needs to be confronted, but everything within us wants to run! "The Goliaths" in our lives are those things that would send chills up the spines of everyone around us, with fear and trembling, to find themselves in our place!
When we look at the story of David, we can draw courage, to move against the fear, and find the strength to be able to stand, even, in the most difficult situations!

Though, this story is familiar to many, let's look at it, today, afresh and anew and glean all we can!
Saul has served as king for 42 years, but in 1Samuel 15 God rejects Saul, as king, for his disobedience and sends Samuel, the prophet, to anoint David, as king in chapter 16. (Though we've talked about some of this, in a previous blog, it's necessary for us to be reminded of some of the facts, for today's lesson.)

When Samuel was sent to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse's sons as king, they're all asked to pass before him. Samuel was focused on stature and appearance, as Eliab passed before him, but the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART." (This is a key passage in our study today!)

So, seven of Jesse's sons passed before Samuel, but God did not choose any of them. So, Samuel asks Jesse if he has any other sons. "There is still the youngest, but he is tending sheep." Samuel says, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So Jesse sent for David and he arrives and the Lord says, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So, "Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on THE SPIRIT CAME UPON DAVID IN POWER."
(We want to remember this.)

The scriptures tell us that God removed his Spirit from Saul and that an evil spirit tormented him. His attendants talked him into allowing them to call David to play the harp for him. Saul sent for David and made him an armor-bearer and David played for Saul when he was tormented by the evil spirit and it would leave. Saul was pleased with him.

In chapter 17, "The Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sucoth in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammin, between Succoth and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped the in Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing 5,000 shekels, on his legs he wore bronze  greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and it's iron point weighed 600 shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him."

Goliath came out and shouted at the ranks of Israel to choose a man to come out and fight against him. If the man was able to kill Goliath then the Philistines would be subject to the Israelites, and if Goliath won, Israel would become subject to the Philistines. Goliath continued to come out, daily, and defy the ranks of Israel. On hearing his words the Israelites and Saul were terrified!

Jesse's 3 oldest sons followed Saul in the war, "but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem."This particular day, Jesse sent David with food for his brothers and for their unit. When David reached the camp and dropped off the supplies, he greeted his brothers. Goliath stepped out from the lines and shouted his, usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him with great fear. David asked, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?" They answered, "The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."David's brothers, hearing his words, burned in anger against him, thinking him wicked and conceited.

What David had said was reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." Saul replied, "You are unable to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." David answers, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from it's mouth."

There's alot at stake here! Remember the loser's army becomes subject to the other. Would you want a boy, like David, to go fight for you? I guess, it depends on whether you're looking at the outward appearance and his abilities or whether you're looking at the heart and who God's Spirit is empowering! If the opinions of others were followed here, David would not have been a likely choice! But God was in control! We have to remember that God called David for a purpose and God was empowering David to fulfill it. Don't forget, David's heart was why God chose him!

David says to Saul, "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, (here it comes) BECAUSE HE HAS DEFIED THE ARMIES OF THE LIVING GOD. THE LORD WHO DELIVERED ME FROM THE PAW OF THE LION AND THE PAW OF THE BEAR WILL DELIVER ME FROM THE HAND OF THIS PHILISTINE."

At first, we may take David as immature and conceited too, but David is not boasting in himself or his abilities; he takes no credit for himself at all! David boasts only in the Lord! David is saying that the battle is the Lord's! He is recalling those "spiritual markers" in his life when those other "Goliaths" showed up and God delivered him! This is where David gets his confidence; it's not in himself at all! He's remembering God's past victories! David's view is, God can do ALL things, NOTHING'S TOO BIG FOR GOD.

David took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones and put them in his pouch of his shepherd's bag and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. The Philistine is boastful and curses David and David said, "You come against me with the 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 hand you over to me and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by the sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give all of you into our hands."

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran, quickly, toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine and killed him! Really a pretty amazing story!

But what is more amazing is, GOD IN DAVID! David has lived in God's presence and now, anointed by God, God is empowering David to do His will! His confidence wasn't in himself, it was in the God he had come to trust, even with his life!

God had chosen David because he was a man after God's own heart! Where's your heart? What's your giant? Are you trying to fight it in your own strength, or have you made the battle the Lord's? Can you stand in confidence, in the Lord, and confront your giant?
Satan wants us to respond in fear, he seeks to make us tremble; he wants us to run! He wants us to fail!

God wants us to respond in faith, to confront the fear, to move against it, in His strength, in His power! He wants our hearts to be His!

What's more important, here, than any giant, is that our hearts belong to Him! Can you say, "Lord," whatever the outcome, "I'm pleased, if it pleases you!" (That's a tough one!)
Are we going to confront it, in the name of the Lord, or crumble in the lack of our own strength? God will decide the outcome! No one has power over us, without His okay! Our job, house, land, retirement, children, spouse, health, whatever has us trembling in fear, like the Israelites ~ IS NOT THE GIANT!!! We've believed it to be, in our minds! In our minds, we've made it BIGGER THAN GOD! We've believed it to be impossible; something TOO BIG for, even, the Lord! We've minimized God! I'm sure it's a BIG deal because, whatever it is, it matters to us or it wouldn't feel like a giant; but we're not seeing things from God's perspective. I struggle with this, at times too. Nothing can happen to God's children unless God okays it and if God ordains it, there's nothing ANYONE CAN DO TO STOP IT! It's true, we might not like the outcome! But GOD IS in control! Fear will not change it! These battles are won on our knees!

If you're reading this, I'm praying that God will show You Himself, in the midst of (HIS) battle! Won't you give it to Him? I'm praying God will give you a "spiritual marker" to look back on, like David did with the lion and the bear, so you will be able to reduce the next giant, in your mind, to "Iddie Biddie!

There's just enough grace for today, tomorrow, at this moment, belongs to God! Don't touch it! He will give us the grace needed tomorrow, for tomorrow! Sleep and rest, in Him tonight ~ after you read all of Psalm 139; it will help you have a proper perspective of God and yourself. If we're gonna tremble, let us tremble in respect for the Lord!

I leave you with Psalm 139:16b which says,
"All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be!"

God already knows the outcome, HE ORDAINED IT! Whether we like it or not, the outcome, is His chosen journey for us! It's already written in His book! I'm praying for you! Trust Him, and KNOW, whatever, the outcome, it's all been sifted through His fingers of LOVE! Praise Him, even now, for all He's gonna do! I'm praising Him, now, for all He's doing in you and for you, as you wait upon the Lord! Whatever it is, remember, it's "IDDIE BIDDIE" in comparison to God!