Nancy Hughes: Facing our giant

“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with 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.”
I Samuel 17:45 (NIV)

He was 7’1” tall and weighed 325 pounds. I was 5’8” and totally in awe – and a little unnerved – as I stood in the store by the life size cardboard cutout of Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal, the famous basketball player. I tried to imagine what it would be like to have him as a bodyguard and decided instantly that he would without a doubt intimidate even the strongest and bravest of men.

I could not help but compare Shaq with a man in the Bible who, believe it or not, was much bigger: Goliath.

It is estimated from Scripture that Goliath was over 9’ tall and weighed a minimum of 650 pounds. Mercy. If you compare that with the average height for men during that time at being just a bit over 5 feet, you can appreciate how frightened they would be at just the appearance of Goliath.

In I Samuel we read that Goliath, a Philistine, had been intimidating the Israelite army day after day. And it was working. The army listened to his daily taunts and as a result, they were all too frightened to challenge the mighty giant.

Except for one – a boy named David. A belief in God’s power, a sling and a stone later, the giant came down and the rest is history.

So let me ask you something: what is your giant? What keeps you awake at night? What scares you until you can hardly breathe and steals peace from your heart day after day?

Is it the threat of war all over the world or the threat of a devastating illness? Could it be that one you love does not know the Lord and doesn’t seem to care or someone you love no longer loves you?

Whatever you are facing, I encourage you to switch your focus from Goliath to God. You will find, as David did, that a large faith and a small stone are a deadly combination for bringing a giant to its knees.

Father, thank you for battling my giants as I switch my focus to you and your power. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Have you ever felt like situations in your life were so big that even God could not handle them?

Were you focusing on the giants or on God?

Apply

Write down the giants in your life right now that you are struggling with on separate pieces of paper.

Then, one at a time, wad up each paper and throw it away, switching your focus from the giant to God. Thank Him for what He is going to do to handle that giant for you.

Power

I Samuel 17:45 (NIV) “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with 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.”

II Chronicles 32:7 (NIV) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.”

I John 4:4 (NIV) “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, :Encouragement from the War Room.)