Jesus was never wrong. Our perception of Him was. Scripture was never in error. Our interpretation was.
For me, this fervency was launched by a conversation I recently had with a friend. We are long-distance prayer partners and soul encouragers, so when one of us sends that “Sis, can we pray tonight?” text, it’s like mobilizing the infantry of the Holy Spirit. You just know the presence of God is about to break through, and demons from Cincinnati all the way to D.C. will soon be scattered.
When we got on the phone, she unloaded the burdens of her heart, and I began to sense that this is all connected to something deeper than the situations leaving her frustrated. I’m listening, but I’m also praying, “Jesus, what’s really going on here? Holy Spirit, reveal it.”
And all of the sudden, I caught it: she wasn’t struggling to hear from God; she was struggling with how her heart had interpreted what He said. She was hung up on timing. Stuck on the fact that what her eyes saw still did not line up with her vision. Hope deferred was beginning to make her heart sick. And all I could think about what stupid distraction time is.
God gave us the boundaries of time because our human hearts cannot handle the vastness of eternity. Even so, we are not bound by time; time is bound by Him.
God gave us the boundaries of time because our human hearts cannot handle the vastness of eternity. Even so, we are not bound by time; time is bound by Him. Should He call the sun to stand still – again – then time as we know it would be turned on its head. What a silly distraction and devilish tactic is our fixation with time.
Now let me be clear – I have been just as hung up on the very same thing that was trying to take my friend down on this particular night. And I’ll say to you what I said to her: I cannot tell you how you get to be content with the almost-always-uncomfortable timing of the Lord. I can’t relay step-by-step instructions. I can only tell you it’s possible because by the grace of God, I’ve done it.
What does the Bible say about this? A lot. For today though, let’s take a look at the familiar story of David and Goliath. But this time, let’s look at it through the lens of distractions.
What distraction might be keeping you from fighting the giant that would lead to your royal access?
The story begins with the Isarelite army – including David’s eldest brothers – at war against the Philistines. Goliath, a Philistine, comes out daily and taunts the Israelites, using his massive size to intimidate them back into hiding.
When David shows up to the battle, he has one mission: deliver food to his brothers and bring a report back to his father. Now, we know that David goes from shepherd boy to king at some point, but I think we often forget that what takes only a few pages in our Bibles usually takes years to live out. And David’s mission to this battlefield at this time is a crucial part of his path from the fields to the palace.
As soon as he arrives on the scene, David notices how timid the Israelites are in the midst of Goliath’s taunts. He asks around, trying to figure out why no one is putting this “uncircumcised Philistine” in his place. This is the point where his oldest brother jumps in. Let’s eavesdrop on their convo in 1 Samuel 17:
28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.
Distractions have a tendency to get us flustered and fixated. But giants? They just fall. One stone slung with the boldness and confidence that nothing can derail what God has set into motion, and down goes Goliath.
Let’s isolate a couple of things from this passage. Honestly, we’ve already summarized what could be about 10k sermons, but for the sake of time and word count, we’ll focus on these two details: First, David turned away. Second, Saul sent for David.
Why does this matter? Because if David had engaged with his brother’s argument, he would have missed the foe he was really there to fight. Eliab was a distraction that David had to reject. But he wasn’t the last distraction.
Saul sent for David, and if we were to keep reading we’d see that Saul attempts to dress David in his royal armor before sending the shepherd boy out to face the giant. But the armor didn’t fit; it was a distraction that David had to reject.
We all know what happens next: the boy goes out, slays the giant while barely breaking a sweat and brings the head of the Philistine to Jerusalem.
But this story doesn’t end with the slaying of Goliath. In fact, this is the moment that sets David’s story into motion. After Goliath, David was officially on King Saul’s radar.
If David had given in to his brother’s distraction, he might never have fought the very battle that gave him royal access. I wonder, what distraction might be keeping you from fighting the giant that would lead to your royal access?
What is stealing your attention, your peace, your contentment? Don’t fall for it.
Fix your focus.
You’ve got giants to slay.
Amen! God, help me to keep focused!