“Sir, those things yonder are no giants, but windmills.”
-Miguel de Cervantes (from Don Quixote)
Three years ago, I was struggling with an issue that was causing me much anguish. This particular battle took its toll on me, leaving my spirit weak and my prayer life faltering. One morning, during this period of dryness, in the pre-dawn hours, battle fatigued and weary, I reached over and picked up my Bible. Of the 1094 possible pages I could have opened it to, page 255 was where I landed (see above photo). There, staring at me, were six underlined words near the top of the page that read, “For the battle is the Lord’s (1 Samuel 17:47).”
Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. But these were the words I needed. At that moment I realized the battle I had been fighting, I had been doing so in my own strength, marshaling every resource and clever idea I could conjure up, all to no avail.
This passage from First Samuel is a story almost everyone is familiar with; that of a teenage shepherd named David who took out Israel’s greatest threat in the Valley of Elah with a sling shot. It only took one well-positioned stone to rid the Israeli army of their colossal menace. A giant was slain and hope was returned.
We find it’s often easier to trust the Lord when times are good; when there are no giants on the horizon and there’s an extended forecast for good weather. But let the big dogs start barking and the elements begin raging, and we can find ourselves shaking with fear and wringing our hands. Our minds become cluttered and our vision blurs, leaving us unable to think of things above and only on the giants that stand before us.
It may surprise you that the young shepherd that ran toward the threat when the rest of the army retreated, said later in his life, “O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand (Ps 13:1-2)?”
Is this the same person? The same David who said to Goliath, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17:45)?” What happened to him? I believe it was battle fatigue. The same thing you and I experience when the giants before us appear to be greater than the God who is with us. It’s an optical illusion, but one that threatens to take us out if we don’t address it properly.
When David penned Psalm 13, the giants facing him were clouding his memory of the giant he faced and defeated years before. His current set of circumstances had caused spiritual amnesia. He had forgotten that the battle is the Lord’s, just like you and I can do when we’re battle weary.
Remember the days of your youth; your prayers for your 85 year old grandmother with heart failure, thankfulness for your new job, gratitude for a larger `than normal tax refund? And now you’re struggling with a prodigal child, a pink slip, and an underfunded 401K. Like David you say, “Lord, how long must I endure these trials? How long will you look the other way?”
In verse five of Psalm 13, David makes a move toward the positive: “But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me (Ps 13:5).” And why the sudden change? David regained his memory of God’s faithfulness when he remembered how God had rescued him in the past – how God had come through when he placed his full trust in the Lord. God had not looked the other way, but David had.
As I meditated on these underlined words in my Bible, “For the battle is the Lord’s,” my spirit was refreshed and my hope soared. Photos nearby on the bookcase reminded me of God’s faithfulness; how He had slain giants in my past. Now I stood in the shadows of new ones in my Valley of Elah, but He reminded me on that morning three years ago that I did not stand alone, nor did I battle alone.
I don’t know what you’re going through, but God does. He hasn’t forgotten you. He’s only forgotten your sin. Trust in the Lord. Let Him fight your battle, because it’s His anyway. Trust will defeat all the giants that stand on the horizon of your Valley of Elah. If you’re battle weary, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Pr 3:5-6).”
How has God met your needs in the past? How has He spared you from the giants of yesterday? How has He gotten you this far? Renew your memory of His faithfulness and you will regain the faith you need for the future He has planned for you.
Play to win this week in the game that really counts!
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