God Is With Us

He was

big,

loud,

scary.

A giant.

Son of Anak.

(Remember the giants spied on by Joshua and Caleb ?)

He was

taunting,

ridiculing, 

mocking,

intimidating,

ugly, 

(. . . my interpretation).

He was - Goliath.

From one side of the hill
he stood enormously,
along with his armies,
intimidating Israel's infantry,
smugly confident in his "imminent" victory.

Israel stood on the other side,
already lamenting defeat
before anything even started.

Although Israel's army may have been large,
Goliath's overwhelming presence
 helped them to forget their own strength
and their own position.

David,
just a kid,
was minding his business.
His dad had asked him to take lunch to his older brothers.
They were enlisted in the Israeli army.

Unbeknownst to this young shepherd boy,
he would face his Goliath,
on an ordinary day,
running a simple errand for his dad.

I've been there.
Just minding my business.
Doing what my Father has asked me to do.
Being a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend,
a teacher, a colleague,
a follower of Christ,
a human . . .

. . . and, unbeknownst to me,
Goliath-like situations unexpectedly appear~
Ever-so-presently standing before me
threatening to steal my peace,
arrogantly "knowing" they can.

I wish I could say that just like David
the first thing I think of when Goliath shows up
is "God is with me".

Sometimes,
just like Israel,
I forget.

Who knew that a pebble and a sling shot,
empowered with the mighty power of Jehovah Tsebaioth,
could collapse an 11 foot titan?

When I approach my Goliaths with my own methods,
I may gain satisfaction for the moment,
but eventually the losses surface.

God has promised to take care of my Goliaths,
but not with my strength,
with my faith.

The gift of Christmas,
"Immanuel"
God is with us,
has always been true.

Although David lived centuries before Jesus was born,
the truth of God's presence was with him even then.

When he heard the filth coming out of Goliath's mouth,
David didn't freeze, or panic, or forget.

He remembered. God was with him.

He thought of the day when the menacing lion
appeared before his fold ready to devour his sheep.
By the power of God not one of his animals were hurt.

And, what of the other time when the bear came to do the same?
The Lord gave him the strength, the knowledge
and everything else needed to take care of that bear
and not allow the bear to take care of him.

Therefore, if God was with David when the lion appeared
and God was with him when the bear showed up,
then surely God would be with him now with this Goliath!

Christmas is special for so many reasons,
but for me, it's a reminder,
that God is with me.
I am not alone.
And, when the giants show up,
I don't have to be afraid.
He will comfort me and go before me.
He will take care of my giants,
and yours.

I love Him for that.

Praying that you and your family will have a blessed Christmas.

God is with you.  

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