Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Facing your Giants - by Max Lucado.

That's where David hears Goliath defying God, and that's when David makes his decision. Then he takes his staff in his hand , and he chooses for himself five smooth stones from the brook and puts them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch that he has, and his sling in his hand. And he draws near to the Philistine.
Goliath scoffs at the kid, nicknames him twiggy, " I am a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" (17:43) Skinny, scrawny David. Bulky, brutish Goliath. The toothpick versus the tornado. What odds do you give David against his giant?
Better odds , perhaps, then you give yourself against yours.
Your Goliath doesn't carry sword or shield; he brandishes blades of unemployment, abandonment, sexual abuse, or depression. Your giant doesn't parade up and down the hills of Elah; he prances through your office, your bedroom, your classroom. He brings bills you can't pay, grade you can't make,people you can't please,whiskey you can't resist, pornography you can't refuse, a career you can't escape, a past you can't shake, and a future you can't face.
You know well the roar of Goliath.
David faced one who forhorned his challenges morning and night. "For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army" (17:16NLT). Yours does the same. First thought of the morning, last worry of the night-your Goliath dominates your day and infiltrates your joy.
How long has he stalked you?.......
Goliath: the long standing bully of the valley. Tougher than a two-dollar steak. More snarls than twin Dobermans. He awaits you in the morning , torments you at night. He stalks you ancestors and now looms over you. He blocks the sun and leaves you standing in the shadow of a doubt. " When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope"(17:11 MSG)
But what am I telling you? You know Goliath. You recognize his walk and wince at his talk. You've seen you Godzilla. The question is, is he all you see? You know his voice-but is that all you hear?
David discusses no one else but God.
A subplot appears in the story. More than " David versus Goliath," this is a "God-focus versus giant-focus."
******************************
You might say that David knew how to get a head of his giant.
When was the last time you did the same? How long since you ran toward your challenge? We tend to retreat, duck behind a desk of work or crawl into a nightclub of distraction or a bed of forbidden love. For a moment, a day, or a year, we feel safe, insulated, anesthetized, but then the work runs out , the liquor wears off, or the lover leaves, and we hear Goliath again. Booming. Bombastic.
Try a different tack. Rush your giant with a God-saturated soul. Giant of divorce, you aren't entering my home! Giant of depression? It may take a lifetime, but you won't conquer me. Giant of alcohol, bigotry, child abuse, insecurity...you're going down. How long since you loaded your sling and took a swing at your giant?
Giants. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone. Focus first, and most, on God. The times David did, giants fell. The days he didn't, David did.
Lift your eyes, giant-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you.