Lions and Bears, Oh My!

When David showed up on the scene, his brothers, the king, and other soldiers were shaking in their sandals at the sight of Goliath. He was enormous (almost 10 feet tall!), brash, and exceptionally confident in his ability to destroy the armies of Israel. David asked questions about the reward that would be given to whoever destroyed Goliath, and he was promptly ridiculed by his older brother.

Undaunted by his brother’s comments, David was sought out by the king. He convinced the king that he was well able to take Goliath down based on his past experience as a shepherd. David was empowered by God to kill a lion and bear with his bare hands—as a teenager! In the face of an impossible feat, David stepped forward in faith and with one stone took down the great champion of the Philistines. God used the incredible miracle to get David in the place that he had planned for him all along: to be the future king of Israel.

For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will eventually face trials that may feel like a lion or bear in our Christian walk. When we overcome those challenges to our faith, we will experience a greater desire for God and for accomplishing exciting things in His name. What we don’t always realize is that those challenges are the beginning and not the end of our growth in Jesus.

Those of us who choose to step in faith will eventually have even greater challenges. We first must recognize that any past victories are only due to God’s enabling power. Secondly, we also recognize that if God gave us the strength in the past, He will supply what we need for future challenges.