In step one, we read about God, our creator, revealing Himself by the world He has created. David, the shepherd boy, was placed in the wilderness to care for his father's sheep. His solitude with the sheep, the beast of the field, the fowl of the air, the sun rising and falling, the moon and the stars, and the plant life, gave him an opportunity to wonder about how all of this came about.
All of these spoke to him without words, and their voices were not heard but seen, telling him they were created by a powerful divine being, God. He just looked around him, and all that he saw demanded a creator. This caused him to believe there was a creator. Notice, he did not have the distractions you and I have today, or he didn't let himself be distracted from noticing the handiwork of a creator. (Psalm 19:1)
The first six verses of Psalm 19 must be meditated on and believed with all our hearts, before we can truly embrace step two. You and I will not pursue through obstacles or trials anything we do not believe in. David saw, and David believed. What did he do next? He sought to find out about this creator.
David's heart was convinced fully of his creator. But, what was his creator, God, like? What was His character? Why did He create him? Where could David search for the answers to these questions? He searched the same place you and I can search today. He was told or read the words from God. In his day, those words were spoken by the prophets. (Hebrews 1:1) Today we can read those words, but we also have the words spoken by Jesus. (Hebrews 1:2) We can be confident when reading all of God's word today that we have what we need to learn how to live and please Him. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The children of Israel were commanded to teach their children. Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren...(Deuteronomy 4:9, NKJV) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on your doorpost of your house and of your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:5-9,NKJV)
By reading the above mentioned verses, we can come to the conclusion that David was taught God's word as a child. We read in Psalm 19:7 how he began to view God's word at an early age. He said, the instruction of the Lord is complete for restoring the soul back to following God, and the testimony is sure or trustworthy to teach wisdom to the open-minded.
Now, let's review. David has seen God's creation, and he is fully satisfied, 100 percent, that there was a creator of all the visible things on the earth and in the sky. Now he tells us to go to God's word, as he has been taught since a child, to receive instruction from this powerful creator, God.
What if he had forgotten about the step one I have talked about and only went to step two? I think I can tell you. Do you remember reading 1 Samuel 17 about David and Goliath? David's three oldest brothers, the men of Israel, and even King Saul fled from Goliath and were dreadfully afraid. Were they not taught as a child, as David, about God and His power and glory? I believe they were. So, what is the difference between them and David? Why did they run, and David wanted to stay and fight?
David remembered what he had seen when he was alone with the sheep in the wilderness. He had seen the stars, the sun, the moon, and all of creation glorifying their creator, God. He was not about to let this uncircumcised Philistine get away with defying the armies of the God he had grown to know and love. This God was real, and he believed and trusted in Him. He had observed God's power in creation and read or heard about His love and protection of His people. No way was he going to be deceived by the Devil to back down from defeating this giant they called Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:36) David's belief in God led to his trust in God. This trust was manifested in courageous acts, instead of cowardly acts.
King Saul, David's brothers and the men of Israel had been exposed to the same word of God as David. So, why did they run and tremble? Why were they afraid? Had they not heard or read about the consequence of God's people running from the giants in Numbers 13? This unbelief in the power of God caused their children to wander in the wilderness for forty years until all the adults, except Joshua and Caleb, had died. They missed the promise land God had given them, because they were afraid of the giants the ten spies had reported seeing. They believed in their negative message instead of God's promise to them.
David wanted to learn more about the God whose handiwork amazed him everyday.(Psalm 19:1, NKJV) So, he read his word or listened to others tell him about this powerful God. Both of these steps continued to make him a man after God's own heart.
I have giants arise in my life often, challenging me to fear them and serve them. We all do. If you do not have trials or challenges that seem giant size, then live a little longer. But, listen very carefully. Do not let these trials grow into an imaginary giant that sucks out your very being and consumes your every waking hour. Have you not read God's word and his promises to His children? Still afraid?
I want to show you how to make your giant flee. Go back to step one. Do what David did. Observe God's creation around you. Now write down what you see. Think about how marvelous it is. Realize the supreme intelligence and power God, your Father in Heaven, has completed before your very eyes. Do not do like King Saul, David's brothers and the men of Israel. They did not compare the size of Goliath to the size of their God. BUT, DAVID DID, AND THE HEAD OF THE GIANT CAME TUMBLING DOWN. His mouth was stopped to never challenge them again.
Now, write down your problems or trials. How big have you made this giant in your mind? Now compare the size of your trials to the universe in which you are a part of. You know, the universe your God created. Do you see how powerful your God is? Now go to this same God's word and read about how He loves you and wants to protect you. Have you cut your giant's head off yet? No? Oh, I see. You have seen some of God's faithful people die because of some terrible disease or get killed in an accident. They are laying in their graves now and your question is, " Where was God when this happened?". This disease or accident proved to be a real giant, that God did nothing about.
Go back to step one. See again God's creation. Now go to His word. Remember we must trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding as we search His word. (Proverb 3:5-6) Our worst fear is death, either our own or the death of a child or loved one. It is terrible and we all fear death, but God says he will raise us from death on judgement. Those who die in Christ will be raised first. (1 Thes. 4:16) If we or a loved one have an illness in which we suffer and later die, in Christ, we will be raised from that death on Judgement Day!
We must remember, believe, and trust God in this, that nothing can separate us from God's love if we are in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not even our deaths. (Romans 8:38 ) Our enemy, Satan, who has the power of death, has been conquered by Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. (Hebrews 2:14-15) What have we to fear then?
David naturally proceeded from step one to step two because he wanted to gain knowledge of the One who created him and everything he could see. That first step provided his faith and trust for step two.
I understand why David did not flee from Goliath. His faith and trust was sealed in his creator God. Is yours?
Next week, we will follow David's next step.
I cannot face my giants without God. I have a library of self help books videos, and dvds. After a few years of trying to face my giants with man's help and my own thinking, I have finally realized I was not created to face these giants without the God who created me. Faith and trust in God have enabled me to remove the heads of the giants in my life named, Unessential Fears. You can do the same.
Please share with your friends on Facebook or email this link to them. I welcome your comments. Please email me at rhepler52@gmail.com .
I want to introduce you to the health professionals at the IMAC Regeneneration Center in Paducah, Ky. They are using stem cell therapy on my wife, Debbie, for her Parkinson's disease. Please go to http://imacregeneration.com/blog/ to read about Debbie's progress and other ways they are helping their patients.
Thank you so much for reading.
Rick
