6/26/19 – Pastor Brian’s Blog –
For the past, I am thinking, maybe, 15 years, Judy and I have had the opportunity to fly overseas to teach the Bible to students at least once per year. While there, we have also had the opportunity to speak in local churches and at special conferences. We consider this a gift from God and a privilege to teach people literally around the world.
Of course when we return, there is always one person that asks the question, “How was your vacation?” Although it is a blessing beyond measure to be able to do this, it is far from a vacation. One of the countries we have gone to is the Philippines. It can take upwards of 20+ hours for a flight from Boston to arrive in Manilla. Take it from someone who knows: sitting in coach for that amount of time, is anything but a vacation! And we get to do it twice!!
Of course there are many stories that we can tell about what has happened over the years when we fly, but one thing that has never happened: I have never asked to see the pilot’s credentials before we take our seat. I have never asked the head of maintenance if the plane we are about to be on for 20+ hours has passed inspection. Nope! I say ‘hi’ to the flight attendant when I enter the plane, find my seat, and hunker down for the trip, trusting that everyone has done their job.
Maybe you don’t fly much, but have you ever gone to your favorite restaurant and demanded that you watch the cook prepare your meal? Have you ever had the oil changed in your car and before you drive it, you crawl under the car to make sure the mechanic secured the nut on the oil pan? Have you ever bought anything from Amazon and refused to pay them until you had the product in hand to make sure that you receive what you ordered?
If we thought about it, we would be surprised how many people we put our trust in without even a second thought. When Judy and I fly, we have no back up plan. I do not practice how to parachute out of an airplane. As a matter of fact I don’t even take a parachute with me! I don’t demand that another plane fly beside us just in case ours breaks down. I get on the plane and put my trust and my life into the hands of people I don’t even know.
As I thought about trust this week, my mind went to a young teenager who was on an errand for his dad. His dad had asked this teenage boy to check on his brothers who were serving their country far from home. As this young man looks for his brothers, he very well may have had to walk through hundreds of rough and tumble soldiers on the hillside. He probably heard armaments clattering in the distance and a defiant man from the enemy lines yelling obscenities and disparaging remarks against his brothers and their friends.
As this defiant man yells… The Israelites saw the man, (and) they all ran from him in great fear. 1 Samuel 17:24. You can actually read the unedited version of this story in 1 Samuel 17.
What impresses me in this story is not the stature of this man yelling, although he is 9’ 6” tall. I am not even taken by the fact that this one man put so much fear into the Israelite army that they went running. What impresses me is that this teen age boy, David, had such trust in his God, that he actually believed that God was capable of doing anything!
Please understand that this isn’t Goliath’s “first rodeo.” The Philistines were warriors that were accustomed to hand to hand combat between armies. Also don’t be quick to give credit where credit is not due. At no time did David’s brothers or King Saul ever think that David would be the solution to the problem. David had no vision that he was going to become some superhero; he just put his trust in a God that was truly super!
David’s trust was so strong in God that he actually ran to get the job done… As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face-down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 1 Samuel 17:48-50
Maybe you are reading this blog and you feel like you have a giant in your life and he too seems to be over 9 feet tall! Please know that if you have accepted Christ as your own personal Savior, you have an advantage over your giant that David did not have. While David had to trust God to show up, you have David’s God living in you… You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
TRUST. We all do it every day, but for the big things in life, who do you trust? In the area of trust, I have chosen to act like this teenager. When the giants show up in my life, I want to be like David: trust in God and then watch as the giants fall…
