Calm down and look up to God

May 21, 2012

Everyday we come across situations which seem impossible to overcome. All of us have two common responses. The first response is to panic. The second and very rare response will be to calm down and look up to God. This is what David did.
Text: 1 Samuel 17:26-50
1. David had a different point of view v.26b
A. David did not see the crisis as crisis
David asked “Who is this Philistine?”
Saul and everyone else in his army saw a giant only. They did not see anything beyond his height, his weapons and his strength. But David was not so. All that David saw was a Dog ready to be killed and a Philistine, who will become a carcass very soon.
Often Christians panic at times of crisis thinking what will happen next? They see how big the problem is? They see how powerful the problem is? And they become under the control of the problem. God expects us to control the problem together with Him. So the first step in overcoming crisis is to look at it in a different way like David did.
B. David remembered that God is alive
David inquired the men of Saul “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine defying the armies of living God?”
Frankly speaking king Saul and his mighty warriors including David’s brothers had forgotten that they are serving the living and almighty God. The enemy had made cowardly dogs out of them. However David the shepherd boy was aware that God is alive and strong enough to deliver him out of the hands of the Philistine.
God wants us to remember that He is alive in every situation, and that He can deliver us. Don’t forget that.
C. David remembered his identity
David identifies the giant “as the uncircumcised Philistine”. David knew that Goliath doesn’t belong to God’s chosen people. But David remembered that he is chosen by God. The awareness of his own identity gave him strength to stand against the Philistine. Never forget that God is your master and heavenly father.
2. David took the challenge v. 32-33
David said to Saul “Let no one loose his heart because of this Philistine, your servant will go and fight with him”.
Someone said “We are not living in a world of excuses, but in a world of opportunities and challenges”.
Saul told David that Goliath is an experienced warrior who has been fighting for his entire life. But for David this was not a problem. For him Goliath was a living challenge which he needed to overcome very badly.
3. David used the training he had received v. 34-36
God trained David for battle daily. Some people take the life of a shepherd boy for granted. David told Saul how he protected his father’s flock from wild beasts like Bears and Lions. These situations of the past enabled David to master the art of using his lethal weapon called the “sling shot”.
Our Christian life is training for the future. When you face crisis in the present remember how God delivered you in the past. Use the experience you received in the past. Utilize the lesson you learned from the past. Stand on God’s word.
4. David put his trust in God and in His power v. 37
David said to Saul “the God who delivered me from the paw of the Lion and the Bear will deliver me from the hands of this Philistine too”.
Your training and the willingness to take challenge will be of no use if you plan to depend on your skills and knowledge. David was smart, well trained and bold but still his to trust was upon God.
Today Christians attempt to do things on their own strength. I want to urge them to rather trust in God. God said
“Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit”. (Zechariah 4:6)
5. David did not react in flesh v. 45-47
A. David’s strength was in the name of the Lord
Goliath was well armed but David was armed in the name of the Lord almighty. David said 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.”
We have to know that there is authority in the name of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to use that name which is far above every name on the surface of the earth. Exercise the authority you have found in the name of the savior Lord Jesus Christ. When you stop acting in flesh and start acting in the Spirit you start to control the situation. David had gained control over the Philistine even before he attacked him. This is clear in the words he spoke against the Philistine. He said “This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Samuel 17:46)
B. David believed that the battle belongs to God
David said to Goliath
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
David had realized that he is just a vessel intended for God’s use. So he simply allowed God to use him.
If you are in crisis let God handle it through you. Do not tell God how to do or what to do?