AUGUST  27

EXPERIENCE PRODUCES HOPE

I SAMUEL 17:17-51


“Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.”(1 Sam. 17:36)

Most Christians have heard the story of David killing the giant, Goliath. Who hasn’t dreamed of doing some heroic act like that themselves? In reality, most of us can’t really see ourselves taking that type of risk. A situation like that is just too big and too dangerous. How did David do it?

Verse 36 gives us the answer. David had already faced a lion and a bear, which tried to kill one of his sheep. He’d defeated them with his bare hands. That gave him confidence that he could defeat Goliath. David had experienced God’s delivering power before, and that gave him boldness. It’s just like Romans 5:4 says, “Experience [produces]…….. hope” (brackets mine).

Many of us don’t put God to the test in our everyday lives, and we miss out on these confidence-building experiences. We’re waiting for the big conflict where we can slay Goliath in front of the multitude. But if we aren’t faithful with the small responsibilities on the backside of the desert when no one is watching, we won’t have the hope and faith to win the giant tests of life.

No one would’ve blamed David for sacrificing one of his sheep to save his life. Certainly, his father would rather have his son than a sheep. Likewise, there are many problems in life that we can survive without putting God to the test. Most people won’t notice. They’d do the same thing themselves. But then, most people can’t slay giants either.

Walk in God’s best today, even in the smallest matters. It’ll give you experience, which in turn will give you hope when the real trials of life come. (AW)