Lions, Bears, & Giants.

No, I'm not thinking about Teams in the NFC, I've been thinking a lot about this passage lately-

33 "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!" 34 But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! I Samuel 17:33-36

I love the "logic of faith" that David uses to convince Saul that he can defeat Goliath...Not, "I can fight the giant because I have previous giant killing experience". Instead, He believed he could defeat the giant because God had been with him in other dangerous situations! Think about it, battling a lion or a bear may sound tame compared a little "ultimate fighting" competition with nine foot tall giant, but it was an amazing feat for a unarmed teenager! David knew that without God's help he would have never made it out of either situation alive.

I find a lot of strength in this passage. I hope you will too. I've never started a church before, but I have started a business. I have never been a lead pastor- but I have been a youth pastor and an associate minister. Without the blessing of God I know I would have never come out of any of these experiences "alive"! I choose every day to believe that the same God who has called me to fight this giant, has also prepared me for the fight.

How about you? Are there "giants" in your future? Challenges you feel drawn to take on, that just seem too "big"? Are there people telling you "Don't be ridiculous, there's no way you can..."? Be Persistant! Think about the other "lion & bear" challenges you have faced in you past...Could it be that God was preparing you for the challenges of your future?

Final thought: I'm not sure if history would have "remembered" a teenager who fought a lion and a bear, as amazing as that was. History will never forget a teenager who "leveraged" that experience into faith and courage that allowed him to kill the giant, "get the girl", and one day become King!