A leader of giant slayers: Part 4

David’s faith grew in obscurity

One does not just wake up one day and decide to take on a giant. David’s faith and his confidence that he could prevail against Goliath were developed over years of walking with the Lord. When it was reported to King Saul that David had volunteered to fight Goliath, Saul tried to dissuade him. “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” (1 Samuel 17:33) Saul could only see David as a youth who was incapable of winning against a seasoned warrior like Goliath, yet David had a strength that was not apparent from his ruddy outward appearance. David replied to King Saul, “Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” (1 Samuel 17:34-36) Long before he faced Goliath, David learned to trust God for his victories in the everyday challenges of life. By God’s help he had already overcome a lion and a bear, so what was a giant to God. If God was on his side, no challenge would be too great.

We all would like the glory of doing some great feat for God, but few of us are willing to invest the time spent alone with God to let Him develop His character and strength in us. Much of the deep work of God in our lives is done in places of obscurity, in a lonely and solitary place where we have no one else but God to lean on. This was certainly the life of a youthful shepherd boy. Many days and nights he spent alone with his sheep and his God. Although no one was there to see it, God was working in his life and making him into a leader of giant slayers. There were many others in the scriptures whom God groomed in obscurity. For example,

• Abraham was told to leave his nation and his people. It was only after he separated from is nephew Lot that God promised him the Promise Land.


• Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before he returned to save Israel.


• Joseph was sold into slavery and thrown into prison. It was there that he learned to become the leader of Egypt.


• Saul/Paul spent several years in exile before he was accepted by the saints in Jerusalem. It was years latter that Barabbas found him and brought him to Ephesus. It was there that he finally entered into his ministry.

Even in my own life, much of my preparation for ministry occurred in my own desert experiences, literally, when we lived in Las Vegas. It was a time when I was removed from most of my friends and family and had to learn to walk with God on my own. The faith and confidence I gained from those experiences has given me courage to face the challenges of today.

There is no shortcut to maturity in Christ. There is no magic prayer that will instantly give strength to those unaccustomed to waling in the strength of the Lord. We must not squander the time we have. We must give ourselves fully to the things God is working into our lives. Otherwise, when the need arises, we will find ourselves unprepared and unequipped to face our Goliath. But if we yield to the Master’s hand in the everyday challenges of life, then one day we may find ourselves slaying the giant and encouraging other to do so after us.

David Robison