“As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground” (1 Sam. 17:48-49, NLT).
The coach propped one foot up on the bench and bent his lanky frame forward to look each player in the eye. “Gentlemen, this is the day that we’ve all waited for. We’ve studied the playbook and know all the strategies that it takes to win. We have trained on the gridiron for countless hours. We have worked out, pumped up, and sweated blood, sweat, and tears in order to taste this cup of victory. So, shout it out, men!”
Every player around the room shouted, “We’re ready, coach!” “We’re gonna win!” “This is our day!” “YEAAAHHHH!!!!” they all yelled. They popped on their helmets, cinched their belts, and stamped their cleats on the ground like bulls waiting for the stampede.
The coach sprang to his feet and pumped his fist in the air, “Then let’s go get ‘em, men! YEAAAHHH!!!!”
…but no one moved a muscle. Every man standing was frozen in place and the jubilant atmosphere suddenly fell to one of question, of doubt, of confusion, of fear.
Suddenly, a young boy moved forward from the back of the room. It was the water boy. And in a firm, confident voice he said “Put me in, coach. I know the plays. I’ve been practicing on my own. With God’s help, I can do this. Put me in.”
And, so they did. And David killed Goliath, with God’s help. When all the soldiers of Saul were too afraid of Goliath and the Philistines, in spite of all their training, this young shepherd boy who walked with God, got off the bench and ventured onto the field of battle and returned… Victorious!
We say our prayers, we read our Bible, we go to church on Sunday, and we feel really good about it. And we should! These are wonderful things that we should do. But, when Monday rolls around, do we take our faith onto the field of our daily battles? Do we go through the week showing others, and even ourselves, that we are walking through our days with Jesus and by the grace of God?
WE are the players/soldiers. JESUS is the water boy/David/Savior of the day. We can only win because JESUS was, and is, Victorious.
We must reconcile within ourselves the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk. When we ask God to do big things in our lives, do we sit back to see what He will do, or do we get in the game and watch Him do His best work – through us?
David McCall
Executive Pastor
