September 2020
September 10, 2020
Midweek Thoughts from Don:
Got Clarity?
Times were hard and difficult as the Book of Samuel speaks about God’s people, Israel,
fighting their enemies, the Philistines. 1 Samuel 17 details a time when the Israelites were confused
and faced challenging choices. When armies went to war in those days, the battles were often fought
in a valley. One army occupied the preferred high ground of one strategic hill and the other army
camped on the opposite hill or mountain. It would seem that the Israelites and the Philistines were at
some sort of stalemate. While it was the time of year that armies went to battle, neither army fought
the other. The situation seemed to be that day after day each army got up, prepared for battle, and
then nothing happened. It is into this drama that a Philistine champion named Goliath takes center
stage.
Goliath was the greatest fighter in the Philistine army. He stood over 9 feet tall and was a
blood-thirsty killing machine. Goliath challenged the Israelites to a “one on one” fight to the death.
It is to this sad scene that I want to draw our attention. When Goliath dared the Israelites to fight, no
one responded to the challenge. The Bible says that when God’s people heard Goliath, they were
dismayed and terrified. I’m sure each Israelite soldier thought, “Not me. There’s no way I can face
that giant. I don’t want to die.” This pathetic lack of courage not only filled the hearts of the army of
Israel, it also filled the heart of their king — Saul. While Goliath was a frightening sight to behold,
King Saul was no slouch himself. When Saul was picked to be the king of Israel, he was described
as “head and shoulders” taller than any man in Israel. While King Saul was not 9 feet tall (like
Goliath), he was no little sister of the helpless either. To sum up, from the lowest ranking member of
the Israelite army to the king, no one believed that God could bring victory to the Israelites.
Let’s hop into the “way-back machine” and go several hundred years back into Israelite
history. At that time God had led the Israelites out of slavery (in Egypt) using his faithful prophet,
Moses. After Moses died, God used Joshua (Moses’s assistant) to lead the Israelites into the
“Promised Land.” As God’s people were prepared to take possession of the “Promised Land,” God
made them an amazing and powerful promise. God said, “I will give you every place where you set
your foot.” (Joshua 1:1) In other words, God was saying that if they dared to dream big, he would
deliver big. Well, in the 1 Samuel 17 story, God’s people had no big dreams. All they had were big
nightmares. Instead of clear vision, the people (and their king) lived in the darkness of dread and
doubt.
It is in this situation that we are introduced to a young man named David. While most of us
know about David, the greatest of the Israelite kings, at the time of 1 Samuel 17 David was an
unknown quantity. David was the youngest of 7 brothers, and being the youngest, he was given the
menial tasks that his older brothers did not want to do. One of those tasks was the unexciting job of
watching the family sheep. As a forgotten shepherd, David would have been in his mid to late teens
when the “Goliath drama” unfolds. Three of David’s brothers fought in King Saul’s army. (One had to
be at least 20 years old to join the Israelite army.) David was too young to enlist. What David could
do was take food to his brothers. In 1 Samuel 17, it seems that David’s father wanted to check on the
well-being of his 3 “soldier sons.” David was more than glad to get away from the sheep, get some
news for Dad, and take food to his brothers.
It is here that most of us know that young David kills Goliath. While we will unpack that story
next week, I want to introduce an important thought. What made David so great in 1 Samuel 17 was
not his sling marksmanship. What made David a hero was his clarity of faith in God. Our world is
filled with people who live in the darkness of fear and despair. Living “not to die” is not what God has
planned for us. God has called us to greater and brighter things. What “giant” is casting a frightening
shadow in your life? What dread nightmare is dogging your steps? Join me next week as we seek to
find clarity of vision and boldness for life in the inspiring story of David. Keep looking up!
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September 17, 2020
Midweek Thoughts from Don:
Dare to Believe God Is Great
The Bible recounts a fascinating story in 1 Samuel 17. In this drama, the Israelites and the
Philistines were preparing to do battle. The Israelites were led by Saul, the first King of Israel. In this
story we are introduced to a young man named David. While we do not know the exact age of David,
the best guess of historians is that David was in his late teens. He had been sent by his father to
check on his three older brothers (who were serving in the Israelite army). David had been given the
agenda of bringing food to his brothers, gathering news, and then returning home. Little did David’s
father know the turn of events that would take place as the young man carried out his task.
As David finds his brothers (and Saul’s army) he hears Goliath making a challenge to the
Israelites. Goliath taunted the Israelites with his demeaning message. He dared any soldier to fight
him in “one on one” combat. This “winner take all” match was one that no Israelite soldier dared
take. No one wanted to fight the 9-foot wrecking machine named Goliath. When Goliath strolled out
to the battle area, the Israelites ran in fear. As David walked into the Israelite camp, there was an
atmosphere of dread and panic. It didn’t take David long to respond to what he heard and saw,
however. 1 Samuel 17 says that David began to ask, “Who will stand up to this Philistine
soldier?” “What will be done for the one who kills Goliath?” These were questions that no one had
dared ask, and everyone who heard David thought the young sheep herder was crazy. After all, who
could stand up to this behemoth?
David stood in stark contrast to those around him. Men of war were terrified of this Philistine
giant. The King of Israel, who also was a man of great stature, was AWOL when it came to leading
his people against Goliath. What set David apart was his faith in God and his clarity of
thinking. David was not the little boy that kid’s stories sometimes portray him to be. He was just a
few years away from being old enough to join the Israelite army. David was big enough to wear King
Saul’s armor. David was sturdy enough to fight a lion and a bear as he protected the family
sheep. But what set David (and all the great Bible heroes) apart was his faith and devotion to
God. David knew that God would take care of his people, the Israelites. God had shown time after
time that he could be relied upon. God was good at protecting those who trusted in him.
Let me ask a question: How many of the Israelite soldiers could recite the great stories of old?
Probably all could. How many soldiers loved hearing how God delivered their forefathers in bygone
days? Once again, probably most. Looking at the courageous response of David and the pitiful
response of his fellow Israelites teaches us that there are many who believe in God, yet there are few
that believe God. It is one thing to say, “Yes, I believe that there is a God out there somewhere.” It is
another thing to act on that belief and say, “I believe God will be with me and allow me to do great
things in his name.”
The Bible clearly challenges people to do more than just talk about God. It is easy to bluff our
way around faithful commitment when it comes to the people around us. People are easily fooled,
but God is not. Let me pause and say that standing up for God when “giants” threaten to tear us
apart is not easy. Going upstream in a downstream world is a demanding task. But the reality is that
trials and difficulties will come our way. We are guaranteed days of difficulty whether we serve God
or not. So, why not serve God anyway? Why not do things God’s way? Why not join God’s team
and get help from the Creator and King of the universe? I do not pretend to know how many storms
are coming our way in the near future, but I do know that God invites us to take refuge with Him. Will
you accept His offer? Keep looking up!
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September 24, 2020
Midweek Thoughts from Don:
Possible vs. Impossible
Milton Wright was a Hoosier native. He was born in 1828 in Rushville, Indiana. He grew up to be a
circuit riding preacher and held multiple ministries in eastern Indiana and in the Dayton, Ohio
area. Milton and his wife grew up poor and received very little formal education, but this did not stop
them from developing a love of learning. They were always on the hunt for books to add to their
home library. It was this love of learning that led Milton to attend a conference at Westfield College in
1877. While this school was a seminary that trained young men for the Christian ministry, it was also
a place where dreams and grand ideas flourished. During this conference the President of Westfield
College spoke about the great advances that were taking place in science and technology. (Perhaps
you need to be reminded that it was in the 1860‘s and 1870’s that people were introduced to the
internal combustion engine, the motorcycle, and the typewriter. Alfred Noble perfected dynamite in
1869, and everyone was excited over this new invention by Alexander Graham Bell called the
telephone.) In the excitement of such times, the Westfield College President said: “I envision a time
where mankind will even be able to fly like the birds.” While Milton Wright was as excited about
learning and science as the next man, this was too much for him. Milton stood in the audience and
said, loud enough for all to hear: “Men will never fly, because flying is reserved for angels.”
Little did Milton know that 26 years later his two sons, Orville and Wilber, would shock the world at
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. After several years of perfecting gliders, on December 17, 1903, the
Wright brothers would successfully fly their fixed-wing airplane. A few years after his sons proved
that the impossible was possible (that mankind could indeed fly) Milton went for a plane ride with his
son Orville, at the age of 81.
I share this story so that I can ask a question. How do you approach life? What is possible? What
is impossible? More to the point, does life hold you captive? Are there trials, problems, and tests that
seem impossible for you to overcome? It seems that the news is filled with one panic-inducing story
after another. What are we to do? Shall we hide and give up living? Let me introduce a radical
thought. God wants to be part of your life. God wants us to understand that he can make all the
difference as we face challenges in this life. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not trying to sound like some
con-artist who is selling “magic beans” that will make your troubles go away. Believing and following
God does not imply that your problems will disappear instantly. As a matter of fact, Jesus hinted that
if you follow him, more problems might appear. What God wants us to know is that he has the
answer to the problems that challenge us day by day. God offers light for the darkness. We are not
on this journey by ourselves.
What is your perspective on things? Often people view “life” through the lens of their
problems. God calls us to view “life” through the lens of faith. God calls us to put him into the
equation of life. I do not have all the answers. I do not have the power to solve every problem. I get
confused and frustrated at times. My problem is that I lean on my own understanding and my own
power; these are not enough. God sent Jesus into this world to tell us and to show us that he cares
about us. It is essential that we understand that God does not expect us to fix ourselves before we
can turn to him. God knows we can’t. God simply says, “Come.” Jesus has called us to put our faith,
trust, and hope in him. Jesus is not surprised that we need help.
So, what is your perspective on things? Are you surrounded by problems and issues that you label
as “impossible” and “unfixable”? God reminds us that our best efforts are feeble. Let me remind you
that we will find great peace and strength when we heed the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28, “Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” God has called us to a great
journey. He wants to guide us, but he will only do for us what we allow him to do. Keep looking up!