I was driving to work last week while talking to a good friend about some tough news we had received. I told her that I felt like I was standing before a great army that was prepared to take me out and all I had on me was a sling shot and a rock.
Do you ever say something off the cuff and then think, “Damn that is good, God is about to teach me something through that”? It was one of those epiphanies, the kind of gut punch moment where I remember exactly where I was in my drive. Cane’s Fried Chicken was on my left, Target was on my right, and God was getting ready to say something straight to me through my own words.
(Would you believe me if I told you that as I type this, Surrounded (This is how I fight my battles) just came on my Spotify mix? I get it God. Now let me keep typing. )
Okay back to that sling shot and that big ol’ honkin’ army on the horizon. Does anyone else feel the same way with something you are facing today? Maybe your marriage. Maybe your child. Maybe it is your finances or maybe it is your mental health. If you say, “Nope, not me,” you should read this anyway because you will be there eventually.
What I figured out: if I believed the Bible to be true, then my predicament was not such a bad place to be after all and here’s why:
1. If you had a big ol’ cannon to take out the enemy, you wouldn’t need God.
(Run to the Father by Cody Carnes just came on my Spotify. I couldn’t make this stuff up y’all)
I like control. I like to have a plan and I like to execute that plan. On those days, I don’t learn more about God. I just learn more about my ability to achieve my will but I am no better for the win. It’s the battle plans we can’t execute that shape us the most because those are the battles that turn our eyes from our own abilities to God’s intimate role in our lives. Sure, David was good with a sling shot. But this wasn’t a bird. It was a giant and he knew that he needed God if he was going to pull this off.
The other option might be to survey your enemy and then to pack up and flee instead of staying to fight. For the record, that’s a bad idea. I could certainly walk away from my battle and I think most people would understand. You could probably shake your head and walk away from yours too, just like the men who faced Goliath before David got there. The words “peace out folks” come to mind but a 1000 years from now, no one will remember those words or the guy who spoke them. Thankfully David’s faith in God was bigger than that and he looked back at his enemy and said, “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.” David knew his God was bigger than his enemy and he was looking to his God for help.
Believe it. Face it. Speak what is true.
2. If I can take my eyes off my predicament for just a moment, I will see that I don’t fight alone.
(I am sitting here for a minute just to see if a song about angel armies comes on next. It’s a no-go but I will make my point anyway.)
In 2 Kings chapter 6, Elisha is told about the army camped outside the city, and he sees the fear in his servant's eyes. Elisha tells him, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." After that, he prays for the Lord to open the eyes of his servant. The young man looks around and sees that the hillside is filled with angel armies.
We do not fight our battles alone for our battles are not really against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12) but against spiritual forces. Pray that God will open your eyes to see that you are not alone in your fight then go and play Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) by Chris Tomlin.
Believe it. Face it. Speak what is true. Know that you are not alone.
3. This battle will not be your last and what you learn here will prepare you for all that your future holds.
I am quite confident that David looked back on that moment with Goliath several times over his life. It was, in fact, just a moment in time in all that God did in and through David. But God used that moment to shape a future king. He has plans for your moment too. He is working through my moment even as I type this lesson. This battle you are facing has the potential to be another chapter in the story of God’s faithfulness to you.
Now grab onto that sling shot and believe it. Face it. Speak what is true. Know that you are not alone. Trust His plan.
