Where David fought Goliath. Where 2 armies came face to face with a little man, who was wildly passionate about God’s heart, firmly believing every giant would fall.
How many times have I stared giants straight in the face and yet immediately felt overwhelmed by how large they can be?
This particular day did not go as planned. Come to think of it, by the end of this trip I realized, nearly none of them did. It seemed intimidating to me how much lack of control I felt.
Still…it was freeing. I was free to listen, postured to listen carefully.
This was a small stop along our path. Yet it was a spot where a small mustard seed of faith needed to be planted to prepare me for what was ahead on this trip.
Mere moments before our arrival, we found out that Jerusalem, which was less than 30 miles away, where we were supposed to be headed next, was dealing with a bit of a rioting situation. Not to get too political, but the Arabs were up to no good, bombing Jewish police stations to make a way for their own agenda.
“Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. ” – 1 Samuel 17:25 The words of the Bible never rang more true.
We were told that our day was being rerouted and some items on the agenda would be switched around. This stirred something in me. I could look at this situation, allow fear to overtake me, as the Israelites may have, be embarrassed by the way my people were representing themselves and be angry with them or I could simply set out in faith and pray for the softening of their hearts.
I could’ve allowed the enemy to speak lies into my mind, saying “Why are you even here?” or “You are too young to speak and effectively change anything.” Or I could stop and let the Lord speak in the Valley of Elah, the Valley of God.
I had asked the Lord for healing. That meant facing this threat head on instead of cowering back in fear. It meant looking at the circumstances and not letting it be a cause for anxiety.
Stop. Fix yours eyes on Me. Remember what I have done here, the absolute miracle that happened.
Verses 45-46 say, “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. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands.”
I look at the valley in front of me and the Lord said, “A man, small in stature, easily could’ve been missed, simply obeyed in faith and took down a giant, in a small stone. While I’m not asking you to physically stop the attack in Jerusalem, woman, of small stature, simply obey and trust me.”
Nothing magical happened that day. The war between the brothers didn’t end. No one around me probably even noticed that this was all happening inside of me. But that didn’t matter. God shifted something my heart and transformed my thinking processes. I didn’t look at anything ahead of me and be entangled by thoughts of anxiousness. I didn’t allow my past ways of thinking about my people, create a divide. I didn’t succumb to a need to be defensive. I simply trusted that God was winning the battle and that I was meant to be enjoying His Land.
Verse 50: “So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
There was no need for a sword in this fight.
The king of Israel inquired and searched to find the one who accomplished the victory. He soon finds out, it’s a young man from Bethlehem, the next stop in my journey.