July 23, 2011

Greetings My Friend,

David and Goliath. That is always a story I love to ponder. I believe David was real, that he really slew Goliath and everything in the Bible is true. I believe the Holy Spirit gave divine inspiration to the writers.

Anyway, God was disappointed with Saul as a king. He did not follow God with all his heart. God had Samuel anoint David at the time still a young man, a child I'm not sure but he wasn't very old that I know. David did not become king until after Saul died in battle many years later. David's father sent him to his brothers who were in a battle with the Philistines. He sent food provisions for his sons. When David got there Goliath was challenging the Israelites to come slay him. If they slayed him then they would be free. The Israelites were afraid of Goliath. He was huge and strong. He would be hard to fight. This challenge went on for some time. He'd come out and taunt them. When David showed up he asked about this. He was young. He had a strong faith in God. He felt that God would be with him, with the Israelite army if they would trust in Him.

David was a shepherd. He stayed out with the flock all night. Sometimes wild animals tried to harm the sheep and David had to defend the sheep. He would fight bears and such. Mostly if I understand right he killed them with his sling. He had to fight with his hands as well. David felt God had helped him keep the sheep safe so he wondered why the Israelites were afraid of Goliath.

David volunteered to kill Goliath. Saul had David put on his armor. It was too big and bulky on David so he took it off, took his sling and put a stone in it. David killed Goliath with a stone from his sling. The stone hit Goliath in the forehead and it killed him immediately. A young boy killed a giant! That is pretty amazing to me. What faith David had!

Do I have that kind of faith? I try to and at times I know I don't. Recently as I struggled through another bout of depression though I found myself in prayer as I cried out to God I found answers on my heart. I felt tenderness. I felt a love so deep and wide and awesome. As I learn how to go to God for anything and everything I find I can face even the hardest challenges in life.

David wrote many of the Psalms and in them you can follow David’s many struggles and even his joys as he allows God to lead him. When David sinned with Bathsheba and Nathan pointed out his sin, David poured out his grief in his transgression to God. He asked God to forgive him. There was a price to pay for his transgression but God also blessed David. God told David that what was done in the dark would be brought to light. Still David trusted in God, admitted his sin and he lived a full life in the Lord.

I have walked away from a lifetime of abuse. It was hard. As I gave God my heart though, He led me. I do have my struggles with the past haunting me and again if I take them to God He again guides me as He did recently. I have walked away from a lifetime of a thought life that consumed me, lustful thoughts, anger, bitterness, hurt and the list goes on. I have walked away from a two faced life. I'm nice in public and not so nice at home. God has opened my eyes to the changes I need to make. As I allow God to open my eyes and then begin to implement the changes I find God guides me into how to handle those changes. He shows me what I need to do to let go.

These struggles are the Goliath's in my life. They consumed me they in away slew me. When I can be like David and put my trust in God, I find myself moving in directions that are amazing. As I ask God where and what He wants me to do I find myself doing things I never thought possible. I have written a book, I write this blog....me a nobody. As I feel the rejection of family, God brings precious people into my life. Sometimes these new friends are people I reach out to in a ministering way. Sometimes it is hooking up with someone I knew on a surface level and then going deeper with them like P who I knew in Michigan and out here she has become a precious wonderful friend. She shares her Dad with Junior and I and we get Dad moments out of him as we learn to love him. It is precious.

As I end this I'd like ask what are the Goliath's in your life. Have you thought about bringing your struggles to the cross? One of the most wonderful gifts Junior gave me many years ago was he made a very large wooden cross. He hung it on the wall in our basement and put a small shelf next to it with a small hammer and nails. As I struggled, I wrote the struggle on a piece of paper and nailed it to the cross. When I tried to "help" God by reworking the struggle in my mind, God reminded me that I nailed that struggle to the cross. As I learned to leave the struggle there, I found forward movement and peace. Won't you consider a journey of faith with Jesus? Do you know how? Ask and you shall receive.

May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.

Love
Janet