One Friday evening, my granddaughter Madeline—six years old at the time—spent the night at our house. She has always been an early bird, full of joy, energy, and ideas the moment her eyes open. That morning, she wanted to play hide and seek and read a Bible story, so I gladly restructured my morning to accommodate those very serious priorities.
She brought me a storybook about a little boy who was afraid of getting a shot at the doctor’s office. After I finished reading it, she asked me to read the story of young David—the boy who had courage to face Goliath because God had helped him defeat a lion and a bear.
When you read the story of David and Goliath, you immediately recognize that David was different from every other soldier in Israel’s army. When he heard the giant mocking God, righteous indignation rose up in him. Out of his mouth came the bold challenge of 1 Samuel 17:26: “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” His indignation stirred him to action.
Yet when David announced what he intended to do, he didn’t receive much support. 1 Samuel 17:33 records Saul’s response: “Don’t be ridiculous! There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy…” But David had faced threatening situations before. Each time he had learned to lean on the Lord. With every threat conquered, his confidence in God grew, and the grace and wisdom of God became more evident in his life.
When David stood before Goliath, he declared with supernatural boldness:
“You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty… Today the Lord will conquer you… And the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!… It is His battle, not ours.”
(1 Samuel 17:45–47)
We’ve all faced situations that feel like Goliaths. These fears try to overwhelm our minds, rob our sleep, paint pictures of doom and gloom, and drain our hope and faith. One of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 is the gift of faith—a supernatural infusion of God’s courage that carries you through terrifying seasons. It’s not ordinary faith; it’s a special grace. God gives it at times, but He also wants us to grow strong in regular, everyday faith—just like David.
Why was David’s faith so strong? Experience. He had practiced trusting God. He had faced smaller threats and watched God deliver him again and again. Before fighting Goliath, David explained this to Saul:
“A lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep… I went after it… struck it… rescued the sheep… Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them… The Lord who delivered me… will deliver me again.”
(1 Samuel 17:34–37)
Fears can seem complicated, but they don’t have to be. We can simply bring them to the Lord, name them honestly, lay them at His feet, ask for His wisdom, and let Him speak to our heart through His Word. As we obey what He leads us to do, our trust grows, and we defeat our Goliaths one by one.
Fear will always try to invade our lives. But laying our fears at Jesus’ feet—again and again—in faith and trust is what defeats them. And each time we do, we grow stronger for Him.
2 Samuel 22:31–34 beautifully describes God’s faithfulness:
“As for God, His way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection… God is my strong fortress; He has made my way safe. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, leading me safely along the mountain heights.”
