January 24 2012, 5:12 am | Bill Elliff
And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies oaf the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:33-37)
Every circumstance of your life is about faith. Each challenge, big or small, is an exercise to help you decide who you will depend upon—who you will trust. Will you rely on yourself or God? God, in His patient wisdom, builds this faith one circumstance at a time. He gives us bite-sized issues that He knows our faith can negotiate by His grace. Any faith challenge is a stretch to our belief or it would not call for faith. And, day-by-day and challenge-by-challenge, He builds our capacity for greater faith and thus, greater usefulness.
Our Daily, Progressive Training
Young David probably thought his whole life would be spent on the backside of a Bethlehem pasture tending sheep, as was the lot of most young men of his day. But this was merely a hillside seminary. He was in a training that he did not realize, as all of us are. God allowed lions and bears to cross the young shepherd's path. At each turn, he stood up and faced these trials, depending upon a greater Strength. He recognized that it was the "Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear."
Imagine those encounters! They were huge. He probably thought he would never experience any bigger challenges, that these were the greatest life stories he would tell. But it was all preparation. Little did David realize that he was in boot camp. He was learning how to trust God and face enemies. How to be instantly decisive in faith. How to hear from God and act upon His initiation. How to believe God in the moment for His enabling.
Before he knew it (and certainly before anyone around him dreamed he was ready) his enemies would have human faces. When the time came, he was spiritually prepared. His faith was at the place of such absolute confidence that a 9-foot giant seemed like one more lion and with absolute faith he believed that "the Lord will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." This giant was but one more step in his lifelong training. No one else was so spiritually ready, but young David was equipped because he had fully cooperated on the hillside.
It’s all about Faith
God is giving you lions, tigers, and bears right now. They seem massive—the biggest, most all-consuming challenges of your life. But the issue is faith. Will you turn to God? Will you rely on your own limited intellect to work out the equation? Will you worry it to death? Will you lay in bed night after night gripped with speculation and fear? Will you allow the enemy to run roughshod over you and overpower your spiritual life? Or, will you turn to the Father? Will you rely on His wisdom and get your instruction and promise from His word? Will you rest and “wait patiently” for Him? Will you move forward in belief, trusting in God’s complete sufficiency? And, will you let these initial battles prepare you for your life's work?
The endgame with God is always about others' good and His glory. His plan for David was to use him mightily to help build God's kingdom in ways that an independent Saul could not do. God needed a man after His own heart. A man who would trust and obey. A man who would grow with each test and become humbly emboldened with deepening convictions.
And lest you think that this preparation is only for the young…remember that David’s hardest challenges were in his later years. You can never relax or imagine that any issue is not about faith. Just when you think you can retire from spiritual development, God faces you with the next giant. This is because our earthly years are miniscule compared to the eons of eternity. We must embrace the reality that our training always extends—lions and tigers and bears till death—continually preparing us for greater experiences of usefulness for God’s glory.
Order Bill's books here including "The Child of 10,000 Names" and "WhiteWater".