Reflections - Besting Giants

So there is this guy. . .

This over nine-foot-tall giant standing in a valley - facing an army and he's yelling. In a giant booming voice he's yelling " Who is going to come and fight me!" He's all decked out in his bronze armor with the Philistine army up on the mountain behind him - with Saul and the Israelites on the other side.

This is my favorite part of the David and Goliath story from the Old Testament. I can just picture it.  This bigger-than-Hagrid dude out there by himself challenging a whole army to come and take him on. The scripture says that every day, for forty days, Goliath would come out and issue his challenge with no takers.

Read 1 Samuel 17 

When I was a child in Sunday school I had a teacher who would always tell us to "Put yourself in the story."  And when I was little,  I always imagined myself as David and tried to imagine what it would feel like to be that brave.  I always imagined and hoped I would know what it would feel like to really know that God would protect me, no matter what.

David was a young shepherd and his father sent him to take food to his brothers who were soldiers  fighting for King Saul against the Philistines.  When he arrived to where they were fighting - he sees Goliath and starts asking the soldiers why no one has would battle with the giant.  Saul hears about David's inquiry and sends for him. A little insanely - yet bravely - David insists that he can fight Goliath.  Of course, this is met with doubt because he's not even a soldier. He's a punky young boy  who insists that he has to keep his flock safe from lions and bears so he has the skills to best the giant.  The rest of the story is pretty well known. David uses a simple sling shot to hit Goliath in the forehead and the giant falls over dead.  And the Philistine army runs away.

Reading the story now as I am adulting - I am thinking again about where I see myself in the story.

Some days I feel like that giant  - alone for forty days in that valley facing an army and wanting to fight everyone.

Sometimes I feel like King Saul. I imagine that Saul would have had to put a lot of his worries aside and trust that this young shepherd can accomplish what he says he will.  That's a challenge - giving up control of a situation to someone else. We all have to do that sometimes.  Both David and Saul trusted that God was with them.

Thinks to think about:
So where do you see yourself in this story?
When have you been brave because you knew that God was with you?
When have you put your trust in someone else to fight a giant?