How do you meet your challenges?
How do you meet your challenges?
Written by: Tom Matlock
Recently we covered living victoriously in Christ. This post we will consider what it means to have courage in the face of adversity. I’ll start off simply by asking you to take an honest assessment of yourself with the following question.
Do I rise to meet life’s challenges with courage?
We all know the story of David and Goliath. Reading it recently, I was impressed once again by David’s courage. We know that he was “only a boy” (1 Samuel 17:33), and that he wasn’t taken seriously by either his brothers or Saul. Still, David didn’t let that shake him.
Let’s look at the events of 1 Samuel 17 through his eyes. David shows up at Saul’s camp with provisions for his brothers. Upon arriving, he sees Saul’s army heading off to battle, Goliath’s arrival, and the hasty retreat of the Israelite army. But Goliath’s size didn’t phase David. It didn’t inspire him to panic and run as it did the ranks of Saul’s army. In fact, I can picture an element of awe and disbelief in David’s voice as he says, “‘Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?’” (1 Samuel 17:26)
Not long after, we find David preparing to engage Goliath. In this scene, we see a short exchange of words between David and the Philistine warrior. Goliath taunted David in much the same way he had been taunting Saul’s army for weeks. “’Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!’ Goliath yelled.” (vs. 44).
What was David’s response to the giant towering over him? “’You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!’” (vs. 45-47)
“As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.” (1 Samuel 17:48)
The message of this post is simple and found in the verse above. It should describe our response to challenges encountered along the road of life. God has not called us to a life of fear, but a life of boldness in Him. When we know what the Lord expects of us, we should rise to the challenge. Not in our own strength, but in His.
For men, it’s easy to feel alone in our struggles. Battles are being waged all around us. We’ve been taking heavy fire, and seen a few casualties along the way. Leading our families is a huge undertaking. Representing Christ in the workplace is tough at times. Living a life of purity and staying committed to righteousness seems just about impossible. Combine all these and more with how busy and distracted we allow ourselves to become, and we find we are not walking as intimately with God as we should be. Furthermore, we aren’t as connected with other brothers for the mentoring and support we so desperately need.
David’s actions took real courage, but he knew his God was bigger than any opponent he could ever face. I want to encourage you to reflect on David’s story next time you are feeling weary and fearful. Consider his perspective and response.
“Who is this pagan Philistine anyway?…David quickly ran out to meet him.”
If you are saved, you are a child of the living King! Why should we fear any trial, attack, or man? There is no such thing as a white flag of surrender in the armies of God. With Him going before us, who can stand against us?
Stand fast in God brother. Connect with other Christian men who are growing in their faith. Cultivate a relationship by spending quality time with Him daily. Then watch as God increases your faith and courage. Soon you will be ready to meet your challenges boldly in Him!