Is God just observing humanity from a distance? Or does God play an active role in our lives? God is not a passive creator who has set the universe in motion just to sit back and watch it spiral out of control. God is an ever present, empowering force that provides us with what we need in any given situation.
In the Bible, David saw how this was true at an early age. As the youngest in his family, David was tasked with tending his family’s flock of sheep. This was no small job, however, as attacks by lions and bears were frequent. David was up to the task. He had a childlike faith in God that allowed him to rely wholly on God’s protection. Just as David was watching over the sheep, God was watching over him, and David had faith that this was true. Step by step David’s faith grew as he saw how his faith in God empowered him to defeat the attacks of wild beasts.
Soon David was called on to do a much larger task. David found himself at the battlefront where the army of Israel was being attacked by the army of the Philistines. Goliath, a gargantuan Philistine warrior, had set forth this challenge: “pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you’ll all become our slaves and serve us.” Who would want to fight a giant like Goliath? No one thought they could stand a chance, except David.
Even though David had no experience in combat, he volunteered to take on the Philistine’s challenge. At most he had practice with a slingshot. Could you imagine, with such little preparation, now having to face a giant in battle? His faith in God had grown to a point where he was able to deny any feelings of doubt or fear. The gospel of Luke describes this perfectly where it says “Behold, I give unto you power to tread… over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19. David knew this and was able to put it into practice when he defeated Goliath, and we can do the same. When we don’t give in to thoughts of doubt or fear and instead look to God to overcome the Goliath challenges that crop up in our day to day lives, God empowers us. With each Goliath we overcome, our faith gains momentum, and our big challenges don’t seem so big anymore.
Have you felt empowered by God? Join us in the comments section and tell us about a time in your life when you overcame a Goliath challenge by putting your trust in God!
This Wednesday at 7:30pm, our Testimony Meeting will focus on the subject “Protection,” and this Sunday at 11:00am the service is on “Soul and Body.” Our Reading Room is also a great resource to dig deeper and find helpful articles on how Christian Science heals. You can join any of our services on the phone at the following conference number:
Dial-in Number: 1-310-372-7549
Access Code: 607611