Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God? 1 Samuel 17:26b

 

In the light, things are different than what they seem in the dark.

 

Ryan Oddo tells a funny story of when, as a boy, he was awakened from sleep by scratching noises in his dark bedroom. Frozen with fear, he began to feel scratching at the end of his bed, followed by something crawling up his body. As it reached his chest, he screamed, jumped from his bed, and flung off his bedcovers. When the lights came on, he realized he’d just sent his pet hamster flying across the room.[1]

 

In the same way, when we view the issues of our lives in light of God’s power, everything changes. Remember the story of David and Goliath? A 9-foot-tall giant named Goliath was terrorizing the Israelite army and their king. David, the shepherd boy, arrives just in time to watch the army run away.

 

But David sees things differently. He asks, “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26b) David sees Goliath in light of God, not himself.[2] David offers to fight Goliath, declaring, “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:37). When we feel powerless against the Goliath-sized problems in our lives, reframing them in light of God’s power changes everything.

 

Facing a Goliath of your own today? How has God met you in the past? Like David, you can say, “The Lord who has delivered me from (you fill in the blank here), will deliver me from this present threat!”

 

[1] Oddo, Ryan. “The Power of Courage.” The Bridge, January 22, 2023. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Sermon.

[2] Ibid