We all have been conquered haven’t we? At some point haven’t we all done or said something that neither resembled nor complimented the nature of God. A little extra tax deduction draws question to your integrity, a little too much alcohol a little too often and a family suffering under the weight of it. A less than admiral gesture at the person who cut you off in traffic bears witness to a temper out of control. It’s not what we wanted. We never intended for them to happen and know, well, we are a lost cause, not unwilling, but unable to get back our integrity, our self-respect, our control. In the Max Lucado book Facing Your Giants I was encouraged to observe David. First the boy then the man, then the man who would be king, the King and, finally, the man who had his kingship taken.I am drawn to David in the same way I am to Paul but for different reasons. David was a tender boy with a big heart and unquestionable faith in God. A lowly shepherd, his station would not have brought him much respect. He honored his duty and watched over his flock with the same vigilance he, as young boy, watched over his faith. In reading about him as a boy I was struck with the notion that it would seem incredulous to David that someone would question Gods faithfulness and his mighty protection. This faith is what brought him to face his first Giant and what brought him the unlikely victory in that confrontation. His first Giant... for there were many more. Most more difficult than the first.
We've all had our own personal "giants" to deal with. I have had to fight often with myself regarding my own abilities and even sometimes my own self worth. I've battled with my own self-destructive tendencies, my own addictions, my own shortcomings.
Michael W Smith Describes me well:
I have been unfaithful
I have been unworthy
I have been unrighteous
And I have been unmerciful
I have been unreachable
I have been unteachable
I have been unwilling
And I have been undesirable
I have been unbroken
I have been unmended
I have been uneasy
And I've been unapproachable
I've been unemotional
I've been unexceptional
I've been undecided
And I have been unqualified
In this David was a lot like me. For certainly he was all of those things. The difference between he and me is what was left out of Michael W Smith's song above "I've never Been Unloved"
Here it is:
Sometimes, I have been unwise
I've been undone by what I'm unsure of
But because of you, and all that you went through
I know that I have never been unloved
He understood this more than anyone and he called upon the Lord not just in his moment of greatest victory, but also, in his moment of greatest weakness and tragedy. He faced his failures and laid them out before the Lord openly and honestly. He pleaded for his mercy and danced as a child, gleefully, at his in his own recognition of the awesome power and honor that resided with HIS king, HIS lord, HIS God. David sure had his issues but he understood one thing.
That is the theme of this book and no one can layout it better than Max Lucado when he says:
"You know your Goliath. You recognize his walk, the thunder of his voice.
He taunts you with bills you can’t pay, people you can’t please, habits you can’t break, failures you can’t forget, and a future you can’t face. But just like David, you can face your giant, even if you aren't the strongest, the smartest, the best equipped, or the holiest.
David. You could read his story and wonder what God saw in him. His life has little to offer the unstained, straight-A saint. He fell as often as he stood, stumbled as often as he conquered. But for those who know the sound of a Goliath, David gives this reminder:
Focus on giants—you stumble.
Focus on God—your giants tumble."
David...he really was a lot like me. I wish could be a lot like him.
These are, after all, the musings of a mind that wanders.
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