“On
that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across
to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took
him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.
A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so
that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the
stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke
up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!”
Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to
them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And
they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then
is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Teacher,
don't you care that we are perishing?
Does he care? Oh disciples, do we even need to ask? He cares deeply
and mourns with us as we struggle but he asks us – why are you
afraid? Have you forgotten my promises so quickly? Do you still have
no faith?
Obstacles,
trials, hardships, struggles – they come in so many shapes and
sizes. But in the midst of the storm, problems seem 10 feet tall and
mockingly impossible. I'm glad that I've never had to be in battle
against a literal giant...I'm not much of a fighter. I took some
karate classes in my twenties and managed to break my own finger so
bad that I had to have surgery to put it back together. There are two
tiny screws in my left pinky.
Physical
battles are rarely the struggles that most of us go through, but our
battles are no less real. Today's lectionary scripture from 2
Corinthians includes a list of challenges that Paul knew the early
church was dealing with: beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors,
sleepless nights and hunger. We know that globally people face
persecution, abuse and horrors we can scarcely imagine...much less
imagine how to endure. In our country there are people suffering from
unemployment, family strife, medical issues, financial worries. We do
not have to look far to see Goliaths all around us. Somebody wake up
Jesus! How can he be sleeping at a time like this?
Saul
and the Israelites were feeling defeated. They've been in a stalemate
for 40 days while this huge Philistine came out daily to mock and
challenge them. It was so bad that Saul had offered a great ransom,
including his daughter to anyone who could rid them of Goliath. The
army of Israel, the people of God had lost all hope.
I
think we can all relate the the feeling of hopelessness. We have all
faced our own Goliaths...maybe you've tackled a big one like an
abusive spouse or parent, alcoholism, drug addiction or smoking!
Maybe it is the collective pressure of a bunch of little Goliaths. I
don't know if you've ever heard this particular question to ponder –
but spend a moment to decide, “Would you rather face 1 horse-sized
duck or 100 duck-sized horses?” Google that later to see what some
other people have thought on the topic. My point is – even small
challenges get overwhelming when that stack up all at once.
Maybe
you haven't tackled what others would call BIG – I'm glad for all
of us who haven't been homeless or divorced or lost a child – but
all those duck-sized horses can wear you down until you are in the
same hopeless state that Saul and his army were in. And the disciples
in the boat were in. And we cry out...like Saul, “can't someone
rise up against the Philistine? I'll reward you beyond your wildest
dreams!” and we cry out like the disciples in the boat, “where
are you God? Don't you even care?”
David
was not in the army. He wasn't at the front – he was home tending
to things there when his Dad told him to take some provisions up to
his brothers and the king. When he gets there he is offended by this
Goliath and wonders out loud why somebody hasn't done something...and
his brothers basically tell him to stop bothering the important
soldiers and go home. But David has another idea – why not him?
And
here we hit on the first step in tackling our Goliath – we've got
to be willing to make a start. To step out and change things. To
stand up against some form of evil or oppression. To stand up for
what is right even when it isn't easy or comfortable to do so. David
was willing and he went to Saul to tell him he was ready to go up
against the Philistine. And Saul said, you can't do it...you're too
inexperienced, you're too young, you can't accomplish this. Look how
big that guy is! He's been at this for longer than you've been alive.
You shouldn't even try. Saul may think that he's doing the right
thing – this kid doesn't know what he's up against.
Yep...when
you try to affect change in the world or in your life, you're going
to run into some Sauls. Maybe you're excited that you've decided to
start going to the gym on Monday and you tell your friend but the
first thing he says is, “well, we'll see how long that lasts.” Or
you finally decide you'll step out on faith and begin a new Bible
study and you talk about it in a church council meeting and you hear,
“nobody will come out on that day” or “Bob tried that years ago
and it fell flat” or “what makes you qualified to teach a Bible
study?”
David
is stronger than I think I would have been – he just looks at Saul
and says, “I can do this.” And he backs up his claim with some of
his experiences as a shepherd. Which is a much more challenging job
than the pastoral picture in my mind. I always thought I'd like to be
a shepherd. Sitting around in a field with sheep, getting my tan
on...reading some books or playing my lyre...learning to play the
lyre.... Sheep softly baa'ing while I take a nap under a tree. Uh
yeah... Apparently shepherding is nothing like that! You've got to
keep these stubborn and stupid creatures from wandering off cliffs,
moving them around to fresh grass that needs to be someplace near
fresh water, and it gets hot during the day and super cold at
night...and I expect that the sheep don't just softly baa. I expect
that it is like having a herd of 5 year old kids – all wanting to
go in different directions, somebody needing a bandaid and another
needing a juice box and we won't even get into what the smell would
be like (herd of kids OR sheep!). On top of that David explains to
Saul that there are predators that attack like lions and bears! Nope,
not for me.
David
says that he's faced tough stuff before and that
God-of-the-Angel-Armies has always delivered him. He's not afraid of
the lion or the bear and he's not going to let this pig continue to
disrespect his God. Bring it on. And Saul agrees.
So,
the first step was to be willing to make a change. The next step is
going to be telling the Sauls to step aside. And sometimes the voice
of Saul is coming from inside our own head. David was faithful and
strong – he is ready. When I face my Goliaths...sometimes I'm
bringing the voice of Saul right along with me. And sometimes he's
telling me that I'd better be careful.
Saul
puts his very own armor on David. Saul says, “if you're gonna do
this, you'd better do it this way.” And David gives it a try. But
it isn't a good fit. With this big bronze helmet and the armor and
Saul's own sword...David can barely move. He's going at the problem
the wrong way for him – he's got to say to Saul, “this isn't for
me.”
How
often have we face problems or tough situations to have others say,
“here is how I would fix that” and “I went through something
similar and this is the way to come through it.” Or, how often have
WE been the Saul in someone else's storm?
My
brother is a wise man (well, only sometimes) who has told me more
than once, “sometimes people just need to tell
you their problems.”
I'm
a natural born troubleshooter. I worked for a number of years as a
video engineer for a VHS duplication house. Parents, explain to the
kids what a VCR is later. We ran 300 tapes at a time and my job was
to keep signals going to all 300 machines. I approach all problems
with the same process – start at one and and work your way to the
other and you'll find the source of the difficulty along the path.
That's my process. My suit of armor.
David
couldn't fight Goliath in the same way that Saul would. And not
everyone will quit smoking the same way or cope with loneliness the
same way or deal with the loss of a beloved pet the same way. We all
want to be so helpful...oh, the best way to get over the loss of your
cat is to throw away all her toys and stuff so you don't have to face
them. No, the best way is to get another cat. No, you should...
You
get the point. We've got to put on our own armor and stop trying to
put our armor on others. Doesn't mean we don't love and support and
grieve and brainstorm and cope together – just going to have to
respect that my way isn't the only way. It's not even necessarily the
better way, no matter what I think!
So
David takes off Saul's armor. And he takes his staff and sling and
five smooth stones from a nearby brook and he heads out. Despite the
warnings. Despite the doubts. Despite the lack of military might.
David keeps on going. Some would call it determination. Others would
call it foolhardy. I can tell you what Goliath thought. He thinks
this is hilarious and insulting.
“Am
I a dog that you come after me with a stick?” he sneers. He curses
him and basically says he's going to feed him to the buzzards and
field mice. I've faced problems like that – I walk toward them with
the confidence of someone who wants to make a change. And the problem
looks at me and says, “determination? Is that all you got?”
But
determination isn't all David has. He's got some ammunition. He's got
some weapons against this problem. Along the way he's picked up five
smooth stones, five instruments – not defensive but offensive! What
are your stones – your tools against the challenges? I'll suggest a
few, but you'll have to get your own stones from the stream.
My
first stone is Courage. David was not afraid to face the enemy. I am
almost always afraid to face the enemy, continuing to face those
fears is the definition of courage. You're going to need that to face
the giants in your life. Where do we find courage though? Unlike the
lion in the Wizard of Oz, I don't think that just pinning a medal to
my chest will give me courage. But what I learned from that furry
example is that if you keep going even when fear tells you to turn
around and run...you have found courage. And every time you do it,
your courage builds.
My
second stone is Confidence. Which I had to dig out of a deep muddy
hole of self-doubt. But I'm learning that being confident in my
abilities isn't the same as the sin of pride – so now I'm learning
to embrace my abilities.
Most
of us have encountered people who turn away every compliment. You
tell them, “gosh, I really appreciated the way you explained that”
and they say “oh, it was nothing.” “You look so great today!”
“oh, you need an eye exam.” Stop it. False humility robs others
of the chance to encourage you and robs you of the confidence
building power of having accomplishments. I'm going to build my
confidence later by just saying thank you when people tell me what a
great job I did leading worship today!
My
third stone is Preparation. If we are going into battle with our
courage and confidence, we'll have more impact if we know what we are
up against. If I'm going to quit drinking then I need to know what
I'm going to face emotionally and physically. I'm going to prepare by
communicating with others who have faced the same Goliath. I'm going
to recognize the storm ahead and go into prepared. Just like I don't
come into the sanctuary today and just say, “well, God will provide
the words...so I'll just open my mouth and see what comes out.”
Maybe that is YOUR set of armor, it doesn't fit me. I'm going into
this battle with my eyes open but willing to let go of my battle plan
if God so guides.
Because
my fourth stone is Trust. At some point, I've got to let go of my
plan and trust God. Sometimes I keep that stone behind glass and I'm
reluctant to pull out the little hammer and break it out. I want to
run around and keep all the plates spinning myself! I got this God!!
You worry about the other people, I'll call on my Trust rock when I
really, really, really need it. I'm so foolish.
David
didn't trust in his own ability to slay the giant. When Goliath
shouted at David, cursed him and was ready to kill him, David said,
“You come at me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the
name of the Lord God Almighty.” He trusted God to fulfill his
promise to be with him through all the trials of life. He knew this
God had delivered him before and would not abandon him now.
So
David steps out confidently and announces that he has come in the
name of the Lord and that God hand Goliath over to him. He states
with confidence what he is about to do – I'm about to kill you, cut
off your head and serve up your body (and the bodies of your pals) to
crows and coyotes. Hello, my name is David, you mocked my
God...prepare to die.
He
goes on to tell this Goliath that his death will be a sign to the
whole Earth that this God, the God of Israel is extraordinary. And
Goliath is done with this pest. Enough with your sticks and stones,
little boy. And he lunges for David. And as crazy as it sounds –
while Goliath is running at David, David starts running at the
Philistine!!
And
he reaches in and pulls out a stone, loads it in the sling, and lets
it fly.
The
rock embeds itself in Goliath's forehead and he falls facedown in the
dirt. As quickly as the battle began, it is over. David is the victor
and Goliath is defeated. I can imagine stunned silence followed by
gasps then cheers!
How
about us? Who or what are our Goliaths? Maybe you cope with one of
those “big” obstacles or a hundred duck-sized horses. Perhaps
your giants are fear, insecurity, loneliness or failure. Maybe you
want to make a change but you aren't even sure where to start!
Start
by deciding to start. Figure out that you don't want things to
continue the way that they are. Maybe you want to find ways to be
kinder to yourself. Maybe you want to make a big impact in the
community. Maybe you want closer relationships. Identify your Goliath
and say, “I'm coming after you.”
Then
you'll face your Sauls and at some point you may even have to hand
their armor and advice back and say “thanks, but this just doesn't
fit me.” And then you'll set out to begin the battle.
Go
armed, find your five smooth stones. But make sure that at least one
of them is grounded in God. Maybe they all are... trusting in God to
see you through the storm. Knowing that he DOES care about your
struggles. He cares enough about you as a person to allow you to grow
through challenges and strife – but that through it all he is right
there. He CAN calm the storm. When you turn toward God, you will find
that he has been there all along, supporting and guiding you as you
grow. As you change yourself and the world around you. Don't get lost
in hopelessness. Embrace the God who stilled the storm...and then
step back in wonder and awe as you witness his power in every
situation. Thanks be to God.
