CRISIS DRIVING

1 Samuel 17:32-37
32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." 33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

Jane was traveling on a bus with her classmates to a remote area when suddenly the driver had a heart attack. He needed to be driven to the nearest hospital back in the city, as no other help was available. No one on board the vehicle could drive, except for Jane--but she had never driven a bus before!

She decided to take the challenge. Feeling overwhelmed and inadequate, she whispered a quick prayer and drove the bus as well as she could. Thankfully, she made it to the hospital and the driver was rushed into the emergency room. Jane heaved a sigh of relief and praised God for helping her through the harrowing experience.

This fill-in bus driver's challenge was similar to David's showdown with Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. David also faced a task much bigger than himself. He was young, without any warfare experience and smaller in size compared to the gigantic Goliath. David, however, believed that God would deliver Goliath into his hands. And the giant was indeed defeated by David (v.50).

David placed his confidence in God's deliverance. While he was still a shepherd boy, the Lord enabled him to kill a lion and a bear in order to protect the sheep he was taking care of. His experiences taught him that he could trust in God's faithfulness.

Relying on the faithfulness of God, young David was able to triumph over Goliath without any fear of inadequacy. For he knew that the One who delivered him from the wild animals could also deliver him from the hand of Goliath the Philistine (v.37). Let's learn from David to trust and depend on God when we face challenges--remembering His faithfulness in the past. --Joanna Lim

DESTINATION POINTS

* When have I felt inadequate and overwhelmed by challenges?(at school, work, with family, church or others).
* How has the Lord helped me overcome them in the past?
* What can I learn from David's story that can help me to face the tough stuff?

LINKS
Praying For Hope
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/008/4.46.html

bottom line: Overcome challenges with dependence on God.

soul journey