Too Big To Miss

Too Big to Miss

Judean winds whistle through the valley, calling the present to remember the past. As you pick up stones in a dried-up creek bed, through the ears of your imagination you hear the rattling of swords as ancient spirits rise to fight again. Then cars on a nearby freeway jolt you back to reality. You wonder if these passing motorists realize what took place in this Valley of Elah some three thousand years ago. Let your thoughts take you back to that magical day.

A giant lumbers out across that valley day after day. Goliath is the original Megatron, standing some nine feet tall. With his enormous bulk, armor, and weapons, he weighs in at some six hundred pounds—one gargantuan mass of bronze glistening in the Judean sun. The Philistines have found their weapon of mass destruction in this incredible hulk.

Half the valley shakes as he bellows his blasphemies across the creek in a voice that is Darth Vader on reverb. “Choose a man, and have him come out and fight me!” But the Israelites cower behind rocks, mesmerized, hypnotized, and paralyzed. For forty straight days they watch helplessly as the giant struts his awesome stuff.

Not much has changed in three thousand years. Every day, giants lumber forth to challenge us. We crawl out of bed and march out to battle, banging on shields and rattling sabers. We boast that this time we will beat our Goliath. Then the giant roars, and our courage melts.

According to tradition, Goliath had four brothers, all of them giants too. Giants come at us in packs. They appear in various shapes and sizes. Only you know the Goliaths you will face in your Valley of Elah. But God made you to be a giant slayer.

Look again. Do you see the herder of sheep from Bethlehem? He’s just a pipsqueak boy. Get to know David, and you discover that he has feet of clay just like you. You may only have a few stones and a sling. Yet ablaze with God’s Spirit, pipsqueaks with clay feet topple giants. And when they have the courage to walk out into the valley of giants, the people of God take heart. They rise up with a shout, inspired by a pipsqueak with a slingshot. Those who dare to be a David become the leaders who change the world.

Maybe it’s all about perspective. King Saul was a mighty warrior, towering above everyone else in Israel. But Saul was a big man with a small heart. He took one look at Goliath and said, “That giant’s too big to hit.” David was the runt of the litter, but he had a heart bigger than all outdoors. He looked at Goliath and said, “He’s too big to miss.” David could have written the German proverb that says, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” Perhaps David looked a thousand years into the future and saw his great descendant Jesus of Nazareth defeat Goliath when he crushed Satan at the Cross. If you are facing some giant today, remember this amazing fact:

When Jesus defeated Satan, he toppled all our giants too. We simply have to rise up and claim victories already won.

Thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58