A little preaching...

Things have been busy and I haven't been feeling so well, but we're on the upswing. I went to the doctor, I'm getting better, and the house is just about unpacked! We've found a great church, made some new friends, and are generally very-much enjoying Georgia (the bugs I could do without!).

Will's birthday was Sunday; I'm still not believing he's 6 years old. We had a low-key celebration, but it was good. One of the gifts that Max and I bought for him was a Bible (and here's where the preaching comes in).

So Monday I read the story of David and Goliath (I Samuel 17 if you're interested in reading the whole thing). And I've heard the story so many times but I haven't often actually read it. And it's powerful. You've got this giant who has petrified the entire Israeli army...I'm talking they're hiding from him. And then you have this boy come onto the scene and he's the only one willing to stand up to giant warrior. David has such faith and trust in God; he says that God has protected him from lions and bears and he will protect him now. Wow! You've got a giant, a trained warrior, in full battle armor and then this boy with nothing but a slingshot a 5 rocks. And the boy is not afraid!

But it gets better. The giant starts to taunt David and is almost offended that Israel would send a boy to fight him. So David says:

45 "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. 46 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. 47 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."

If those aren't fighting words I don't know what is. So the giant comes after him and the Bible says that David runs to the battle line to meet him. Looking at the picture from a human perspective, the odds were completely against David. But we so often forgot about the ultimate warrior that was standing beside David. God loves to work through the weakest and most unlikely person because it's not by power, or might, or sword, or smooth-talking that the battle gets won. There's another passage in Exodus 14 that I love (this is as the Israelites are leaving Egypt and are being followed by Pharaoh's army; the people are afraid and starting to complain):

13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

How often do I try to fight the battle on my own and I fail miserably. As David says "the battle is the LORD's". Every person on this planet has battles - whether they be health or financial or marital or whatever. We need to remember that God is our ultimate warrior and He will fight for us. We simply need to be still in Him.