The Highs and the LowsSample

David (The Highs)

Yesterday we looked at one of the lowest points in King David’s reign, but today we’re going to look at the opposite of David’s most famous trial years before he was King. When you hear the word ‘king,’ what ideas normally spring to mind? Big and strong? Popular? Lots of experience? If you were looking for a king, you’d probably be looking for those things, right? That’s exactly what everyone thought when looking at who should become King, so when David, the little shepherd boy and the youngest of his family, was chosen to be king, it was a huge shock to his brothers and his Dad.

So David’s been chosen to be King, but as far as he knows, that’s years in the future, so he goes back to protecting his Dad’s flock of sheep. While all this is happening, Israel is at war, and David’s older brothers are on the battlefield. One day David is on his way to deliver his brothers’ packed lunch, and he sees this giant man who’s clearly put fear into the heart of the Israelite army. If we were in this situation, most of us would probably call it a day and head back. “I’m not King yet,” “It’s not my responsibility,” and thoughts like that might pop into our head, but that wasn’t David. He saw a need and stepped up. How often do we see issues that need solving but shy away from the challenge? It is clear that David knew that God would be with him, and that removed his fear.

David tells Saul that he’s ready to take on Goliath, to which Saul replies that he's way too young and that Goliath has been preparing for longer than David has been alive. David responds that he’d been protecting his Dad’s flock of sheep by fighting against lions and bears this whole time. David could’ve easily seen this as a smaller responsibility and neglected it, but he did everything as if it was for God rather than people. David had been growing in the small moments before facing the big challenge. So David steps on the battlefield and, instead of taking the armour and weapons provided to him, he takes his trusty slingshot and strikes Goliath dead. In the most unexpected environment and through the most unexpected person, Israel is freed.

Questions

Q: What needs do you see that are desperate to be met that you aren’t responding to? Why is that?

Q: Do you believe that God can move through you?

Prayer:

Father, I thank you that you still work through people today. I thank you that, regardless of how equipped I may feel based on what others think, you can still work through me. I pray that I’d not only focus on the big things but the little things too,

Amen