(1 Samuel 17:37-40)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” Yesterday we learned that after 40 days of a stalemate, because no one in the Israeli army had the courage to fight Goliath, David was given the opportunity to represent Israel in the fight. So after taking over a month’s worth of berating, and after dealing with the frustration of the situation and the fear of becoming a slave to the Philistines, king Saul put the future of the nation in the hands of a teenager. But this was not just any teenager, this was a teenager empowered by the grace of God; a teenager who had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands; a teenager who had recently been anointed by God to take Saul’s throne; a teenager who was not afraid of the the giant; a teenager who was looking through the lens of faith, speaking the language of faith, with full confidence in his God. After David promised, in convincing manner, to kill the Philistine pig (Goliath), king Saul said, “Go. And the Lord be with you!” Saul probably did not know it, but there was power in the acknowledgement that the Lord was going to be with David, to bring the victory through David’s hands, by His grace.
After giving David the authority to represent the nation, king Saul also gave David his own armor. Most Soldiers had body armor, but David, a shepherd boy, was no Soldier, so he did not. It would have been a privilege to wear the personal armor of the king into battle. This would be like a Private in today’s Army, wearing the uniform of the Commanding General. David put it on, strapped Saul’s sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it felt like. After a few moments David said, “I can’t go in this, I’m not used to it.” So David took the armor off and gave it back to the king. David then picked up five smooth stones from a nearby stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff, the five stones, and a slingshot, David started across the valley to fight the Philistine giant. I can only imagine the scene. A king and his army standby as a teenage shepherd wanders into a valley to face a giant, armed with nothing but a slingshot and a few rocks, and their future is in his hands. It’s a good thing that David’s future was in God’s hands! We will stop here for today.
So what does this mean to you today? Two things:
1. Enter into God’s Rest. If you are frustrated because you are trying very hard to get God to move in your life, then that is the problem – you are trying too hard. When you are led of God you simply go as He leads you and you go in His grace. David was led to fight Goliath and since he was doing what the Lord was leading him to do, he did not have to force the door to open. Through grace and favor David quickly got an audience with the king and quickly received the approval to represent the nation. And although David appreciated the offer to wear the king’s armor, when he did not feel comfortable with it, he simply took it off. He was not worried and he was not attempting to MAKE anything happen. He was simply resting in who he was and in what the Lord was leading him to do. You would do well in learning to do the same.
2. Operate in your own grace. You don’t have the grace of others and they don’t have yours. Saul might have had the grace to fight with armor, but David felt no pressure to look like anyone else or to attempt to fight like anyone else. David stepped into that valley dressed like a shepherd, because he was graced to be a shepherd. And since he was operating in his own grace, the Blessing flowed. The Blessing will not flow when you attempt to be someone the Lord has not called you to be. So” 1) know for yourself who God has called you to be, and 2) operate in that grace.
Closing Confession: Father, as You have told me in Your Word, I labor to enter into Your rest. I rest from my own works, and I am settled in whom You have called me to be. People who don’t know their purpose experiment their way through life. I am not experimenting. I have accepted and submitted to Your purpose. Therefore, Your grace and favor are on me to become the person You have called me to be. I feel no pressure to be someone I am not. I accept no pressure to copy or mimic someone who I don’t have the grace to become. I know who I am and I have my own grace. I operate in that grace daily and like Paul, I can say, “I am who I am by the grace of God.” Your grace upon me is not in vain. I have my own grace and I am running my own race. When giants come to deter me from becoming all You have called me to be, those giants will be met with the same fate as Goliath. Giants DO fall and they will fall if they get in my way. Thank You Father for birthing me with a purpose and for gracing me to fulfill that purpose. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
