"The Power of God" - 1 Samuel 17
Our text this week tells the story of David and Goliath- one the greatest underdog stories of all time. With the armies of Israel and Philistia facing off for battle, Goliath, the giant Philistine, comes forward to challenge any man of Israel to a duel to the death. At first there are no takers; no Israelites willing to risk fighting the giant. Then young David, a shepherd boy whose father has sent him to the battle, volunteers himself. Despite everyone’s warnings about how he cannot possibly defeat the giant, David nonetheless goes to meet Goliath with nothing but a sling and a few stones. Before slaying the giant with a single stone, David says, “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.”
When the people of Israel were confronted with a fearsome giant- they were afraid and overwhelmed. Their fear made them unable to confront the problem they were facing. We too are facing massive challenges- many of them giants of our own making. Climate change, racial injustice, economic inequality, extreme partisanship- these giants provide us with plenty to fear, they easily overwhelm us. The gigantic scale of these crises can cause us to throw up our hands and surrender; to say there is nothing that we can do.
When all of Israel feared the giant Goliath, David found the courage to confront the challenge posed by the giant. From where did this courage come? It was not his size, not his experience as a warrior, not any secret he knew about Goliath. David found his courage by trusting in the power of God. David knew that God had acted powerfully in the past to save Her people and he trusted that God would do so once again. His faith gave him the courage needed to face the giant and defeat him. God has continued to deliver Her people again and again since the time of David. God has promised to continue to save and protect us to this day. We cannot overcome the gigantic issues of our times alone, but trusting that the future is in the hands of our loving God, we can find the courage needed to confront them. May God increase our faith and help us to trust in Her power. Amen.
~ Pastor Andrew Greenhaw