Last week we discussed how God has used our entire life to prepare us for what we are walking through now. It is amazing to look at an event in our past and think about the ways in which we’ve seen God do his faithful and amazing work. Before we get to my thoughts on David and Goliath, I wanted to give you an opportunity to dig into your own story. More than anything I can say about God working in extraordinary ways, you need to see it in your life. To believe that God is all powerful, and working in your daily lives you’ve got to look back and look up.
This man David that we are looking at wrote many of the Psalms in the bible. Psalm 23 is a Psalm that I have loved, have memorized, and have used as a framework for looking at my own testimony. This Psalm follows a pattern of the toughest journeys the Lord walks us through in our lives, and the redemption that follows. Here is one sample of my Psalm 23 story, and I’d encourage you to download the attachment, and interact with one of your own life stories.
Once you’ve done this, you will be more fully aware of the tiny pebbles the Lord is storing up for you to defeat any Goliath that stands in your way.
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths bringing honor to his name.” Psalm 23:1-3
When I think of the big, hard, painful times in my life, they were always preceded by really rich, wonderful times that God used to give me strength and rest before things got rough. In the summer of 2006, I worked at a Christian summer camp where I spent tons of time with the Lord, and good people. I was rested, rejuvenated, and ready to face school in the Fall. The Lord was leading me, teaching me, and giving me good, necessary rest.
“Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
And then it hit. Times got rough. When I returned to school my boyfriend and I broke up, and shortly after that our house was broken into in the middle of the night. My roommate ended up scaring the guy off with her screams, and I woke up to her screaming, and we called the police (I blogged about this: Do Not Be Afraid). It is probably one of the truly scariest moments of my life, but in the aftermath, I leaned in on the Lords promises that he gave me during those peaceful, and beautiful times with him that summer. I knew where to turn when I was terrified and couldn’t even trust the safety of a locked door to my apartment. I knew he was there, and could feel his presence when I prayed in the middle of the night for peace and sleep.
“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest anointing my head with oil, my cup overflows with blessings.” Psalm 23:5
And then came the feasting! In the face of these enemies, threatening to crush my trust in the Lord, my health, and my hope in finding the man the Lord sent for me, my cup overflowed with blessings! The Lord provided alternate housing for my roommate and I, I had my best collegiate cross country season to date, and I began to date the man I would later marry. I thought I would never sleep again, yet my running times continued to improve off of little sleep, and shaky confidence. I ran my fastest 5k to close out the season, and a boy with an incredible heart for the Lord asked me out. I was feasting in the presence of Satans efforts to thwart my trust in the Lord. My cup was overflowing with blessings.
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all of the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
And now when I look back I can see that his goodness and mercy were following me through all of those days. His mercy was so real in the middle of the night when the man ran away from our apartment instead of staying and doing some real damage. His mercy was so real in the midst of the pain of the breakup with a guy I thought was my best friend. And his blessings still follow me today with my husband, and my ability to trust the Lord in bad times.
I hope you get the chance to take a minute this week and interact with Psalm 23, and your own story. ( Psalm23DevotionalPDF) The Lord takes care of us, walks with us, and redeems even the hardest of stories for his good. And these stories of His faithfulness will help us, and others walk through any other Goliath that stands in our way!
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