I was thinking today about the story of David and Goliath and how it reminds us that having the right kind of confidence is key to life.
If you don’t know the story you can read the whole thing in 1 Samuel 17.
For now, just imagine you’re a teenage kid, oh let’s say about five foot six, holding a sling you made in your front yard, a few rocks from the stream by the house and you’re walking out to face a giant with the sole purpose of killing him.
As you’re walking it seems like the giant keeps getting bigger as you suddenly realize he’s over nine feet tall and looks every bit the warrior.
The giant, named Goliath, yells directly at you and says he’s going to crush your bones and feed you to animals. (That sounds fun!)
Oh and by the way about a million people are watching you. Half hate you and want you dead. The other half think you’re crazy but are seriously hoping you can pull off a miracle.
Can you say confidence-sucking situation? I mean, really…. most of us would run, lay down and cry or pee our pants, but not David. He defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone and then cut off his head for good measure.
He understood that having the right kind of confidence was the key to victory.
Here are three foundation stones to having the right kind of confidence:
1. Be confident knowing that God is the one who rescues.
In 1 Samuel 17:32, 37 we see where David begins to build his confidence.
“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him! … The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”
David didn’t trust in his own abilities as a warrior because he wasn’t one. He knew that in this overwhelming situation he could not rescue himself. It was impossible.
He placed his confidence in the fact that only God can do the impossible and he spoke it out for all to hear.
2. Be confident in the name of the Lord.
In 1 Samuel 17:45 David makes it clear that his weapon of choice wasn’t what he was really relying on. It was the name of the Lord.
David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Now that’s some confident smack talk. Whenever you’re feeling under-confident and facing a giant of a situation put your confidence in the name of the Lord. Speak it out!
3. Be confident in who gets the credit.
One of the great things about David was that he wasn’t trying to make himself famous, get more followers on Facebook or get his name in the papers. He had one goal we read about in 1 Samuel 17:46-47…
“Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
David’s goal was that through his confidence in the name of Lord that the whole world would know that God is real and he rescues us out of giant situations. He knew it was the Lord’s battle, not his.
The same can be said for you. Whatever you’re facing right now, have confidence in the name of the Lord who rescues his people. It’s his battle, not yours.
Growing Stronger: Look up these verses to build more faith.
