Devotional
for the Week 14 January 2008
A Giant-Slaying Faith
Scripture Text: 1
Samuel 17:1-11, 32-40
There
was a face-off between Philistines and Israel. Goliath was
a champion from Gath. Standing at nine feet tall, he wore
a formidable set of bronze armour. He magnified himself, and
belittled and intimidated the Israelite soldiers.
There
are many giants in our lives, in the form of the most daunting
or sometimes, the simplest of problems. Some of us may feel
we are too old or too young for God’s service. Some
of us have our personal fears, phobias or discomforts when
we think of going out into the mission field for God.
We
can learn some lessons in giant-slaying in this devotional
passage. King Saul excluded God in his decisions. (v.33) He
was more influenced by physical factors, such as size, age,
ability, logistics and experience. King Saul did not know
God and allowed David to fight, due to a lack of options.
He was unsure of God’s presence and involvement when
he said, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” (v.37b)
Taking logistics into great consideration, he even gave David
his armour.
In
stark contrast, David, a shepherd boy, included God in all
his evaluations. He remembered how God helped him in the past
(v.37a) Based upon his knowledge of God’s character,
David, knew God enough to react, as the situation required
a servant of God to respond.
Today,
we look back and remember what God has done for our community,
using the old, young, inexperienced, foolish, stubborn, even
unwilling instruments to do His work in the mission fields.
Many of such giants mentioned have all been slain.
We
know of a 78-year-old elderly member in our church, who went
to the mission field twice - Myanmar and Cambodia - to spread
God’s good news. The youngest to go was a four-year-old
who went to the Philippines on a family mission trip and has
since expressed she wants to go again. A new believer even
went thrice to Cambodia and the Philippines. We also hear
that discomforts such as phobia for dirty places, or fears
of public speaking were overcome in other teams.
Earlier,
we mentioned Saul giving the best of the King’s battle
gear to David –– a bronze helmet, coat of mail
and sword. David tried them on and rejected them. (v.39) Instead,
armed with only a slingshot and staff, he went into battle.
In the end, David decapitated the giant with its own sword.
The
very things we fear cannot kill us. Rather, when subject to
God’s sovereign control, they kill the giant standing
in our faith journey’s way. James 2:17 says, “Faith
without deeds is dead.” A faith that does not slay giants
is dead. Faith is not dependent on what you have or do not
have. A giant-slaying faith inspires and makes us believe
we can do the same and slay our own giants.
Prayer
Response:
Dearest Lord Jesus, forgive my unbelief today. I give You
full control of my life. I ask for a giant-slaying faith to
overcome the obstacles that are in the way of my obedience
and service to You. I long to grow a harvest of trust and
faith in my heart. Send me to wherever You desire for me to
go, that I may serve You faithfully all the days of my life.
In Your precious name, Amen.
Devotional based on message by Rev Joel Yong