Standing in the Shadow of a Giant

Picture this: there are two hills with a valley in between. Each hill has an army of soldiers preparing for battle. “Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.” Six cubits and a span. That is a lot of cubits. There is some debate over exactly what that translates to in today’s measurements, but scholars agree that the range is anywhere between 9 and 11 feet! Either way, you slice it, that is incredibly tall. And before you start picturing Goliath as the ‘tall, skinny type’, remember that his armor weighed 125 pounds! If Goliath were a football player today, he’d be the number one draft pick on every NFL team’s board.

“Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.’ Then the Philistine said, ‘This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.’”

The Bible tells us that Goliath shouted this for forty days every morning and evening. Imagine his deep, loud voice yelling at the Israelites, taunting their men day and night. There before the Israelite forces was a very real, very frightening reality.

Who or what is your ‘Goliath’ right now? What real, frightening reality is in front of you? Yelling at you, keeping you awake at night, and facing you in the morning?

For many students, it’s the Goliath of peer pressure to be cool and fit in versus standing up for their Christian faith. For some young adults, it’s the Goliath of fear that they will lose their job or end up alone. For others, their Goliath is the fear of losing a loved one or receiving a bad medical diagnosis.

Picture your Goliath.

Now picture young David, likely a teenager, standing before Goliath. Yelling back 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.”

The Bible tells us that, “As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.”

THUMP! Just like that, the very real, frightening giant was slain right in front of the two armies. The Philistines fled, the Israelites chased and killed them, and the battle was won.

Whatever the giant or battle that you are facing today, 1 John 5 tells us that everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. Christian, cling to that truth in the shadow of your giant. Have courage like David and face your giants in the name of the Lord Almighty.

Questions for Thought

1. What “giant” are you facing right now?
2. What “rocks” has God given you to slay your enemy?

Daily Challenge

Spend some time in prayer asking God to give you the confidence to face your “giant” in faith. Then take one step to overcome your fear today.