1st Samuel 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him" .... 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 "And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine".
In this passage of scripture we see that both king Saul and David were faced with the daunting challenge of defeating the Philistine giant Goliath, and thereby routing their armies. The dire challenge was obviously not the issue, but rather the two different outlooks on the same problem, for Saul took a defeatist attitude by saying that David could not conquer the giant, whilst David on the other hand, filled with the Spirit and energy of The Living God, saw in Goliath a piece of cake whom he was going to have for lunch, by the grace and power of God.
It's very important for us, when faced with serious difficulties, not to magnify them to the skies, nor should we speak of, or dwell on the negative prospects that are associated with grave situations, for by so doing we becloud our own vision to the limitless possibilities for great success that are to be found in God. By dwelling upon the negative side of things, Saul actually drove himself to really believe that an impossible task was before them, and so he acted upon what he believed, by stating unequivocally to David, that it was impossible for him to go up against the giant.
But David had an altogether different view of the same daunting situation,which was based on his past victories, given to him by God. In his conversation with Saul he mentions that a lion came into his father's flock and took a lamb. But David confronted the large and dangerous beast head on, taking it by its beard, not by its tail, and slaying it through the power of God. This attitude as was manifested in David's experience carries with it very precious lessons for us in our day, for there are times when we ourselves have to face the giants, and our attitude will then determine whether we will be victorious, or whether we will be vanquished.
As Christians we should never turn our backs on problems, but we should rather face them head on, with fortitude, courage, and a living faith that takes hold of unseen realities. When Christ was just about to be arrested by the angry mob in the garden of Gethsemane, He did not run or hide, but rather stepped forward and faced them head on. It is worthy of note that even though the angry mob was seeking His life, Jesus was the first one to speak, thereby showing that He took charge of the situation, instead of the situation taking charge of Him, a pattern that we should always follow. Let's read:
John 18:3 Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? 5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he" ... 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. 7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he" ...
God does not impart the spirit of fear to those who trust in Him, but rather gives us holy boldness so that we may do His bidding, and even when we are surrounded by enemies, or are hedged in with difficulties that seem to have no resolve, the faith of Jesus which is given to us, is able to penetrate the darkness with bright rays of hope and trust, so that we can rest in the complete assurance of God's unfailing love and power. We therefore end with a passage that reiterates this very point, and it is the will of God that we put it into practice, by a humble and childlike dependence on God, who alone is omnipotent in power. Let's read:
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!