eastwind journals, July 16, 2021
By Bernie V. Lopez, eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com
Share this article by sending blog link – https://eastwindjournals.com/2021/07/16/lessons-form-david-and-goliath/
Balancing our will with God’s will.
In the story of David and Goliath, God showed the Israelites that they could surmount the insurmountable if they remained true to him. The same is true with the Pandemic.
How could a shepherd boy kill a giant seven-foot warrior? God did not work a ‘miracle’. He simply worked on David. Being the youngest of eight children, David had the hardest task of tending the family’s flock of sheep every day. In those days, shepherds had slingshots to ward off lions and wolves. Annoyed by the many predators, David got himself a first-class slingshot and mastered its use.
The ancient slingshot had a special technical design. It was a three-foot long four-inch wide leather strap with a pouch that could hold a round smooth stone the size of a tennis ball. One had to simply swing it hard to gain momentum before releasing the stone with such a powerful force. It took a while for David to master the technique of releasing the stone properly at the right time to hit a target. Every day, he practiced hitting distant cactus branches while tending the sheep. In time, he could casually kill a wolf or lioness with a single stone with awesome accuracy.
The Philistines (Palestinians of today) presented Goliath, a seven-foot armored giant, and dared the Israelites to present their warrior to defeat him. The army of the loser would surrender to the army of the winner. When no one stepped forward, the tiny boy David emerged, stunning both Israelites and Philistines.
He knew Goliath was just another ‘lion’ to kill. Not only that, he was God’s favorite. The Philistines laughed at him. From a distance, not even getting close to the fully armored giant, David killed Goliath with a single stone to the forehead, cracking his skull. The Philistines gasped in disbelief. David beheaded Goliath and as he raised his head, the Philistines fled in fear. David became the warrior-king for the Lord and would conquer vastly superior enemies.
Here is a story inspired by a true event. Because of a grid lock that did not move for 30 minutes, George missed his flight to Miami for an important international conference where he was the guest speaker. The plane crashed at take-off. He saw the flames from the traffic jam at an elevated street near the airport. He knelt down on the sidewalk unashamedly to thank the Lord for his kindness.
A lady, seeing him praying, said, “Hey, what’s the matter? You missed your flight?” He answered, “Lady, you don’t know how much I love this traffic jams.” The lady replied, “Well, it’s not yet your time. Praise the Lord.” The Lord moves in mysterious ways.
Here is a true story. At the Big Apple, Filipino nurse Noemi (name changed) had a high fever, so she could not bring her son to school. She asked her husband Fred if it was okay to be late for work so he could take the kid to school. Fred readily complied. When he arrived late at his work at the World Trade Center Tower 1, it was already in flames. In 5 minutes, he witnessed the crash of the first tower, sending plumes of dust on a one-kilometer radius.
All subways and buses were frozen in the entire city. While walking for ten hours from downtown Manhattan to the George Washington bridge to his home on the New Jersey side, George thanked the Lord for his kindness. When he got home in the evening, Noemi embraced him tight. The Lord moves in strange ways beyond our understanding because he loves us, just as he did David.
During this pandemic, for God’s will to act in our favor, our will has to align with his, which requires absolute faith and surrender. Those who are too sure of themselves may fail, but those who trust in the Lord will succeed. In the battlefield, the Israelites would lose when they displeased the Lord, and would win against overwhelming odds if they pleased him. The same with us during this pandemic.
Learn from David. Balance relying on God versus relying on yourself, surrender to God’s ways versus depend on your own skills. The more our will coincides with God’s will, the better we can cope. This is the way to surmount the Goliath pandemic. Believe in God and believe in yourself at the same time, when facing Goliath.
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Comments to Bernie V. Lopez, eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com
Share this article by sending blog link – https://eastwindjournals.com/2021/07/16/lessons-form-david-and-goliath/
Blogger – ex-Columnist (Inquirer) – Healing Ministry – ex-Professor (Ateneo U) – Documentary Producer-Director (freelance, ex-ABS-CBN) – ex-Broadcaster (Radio Veritas) – Facebook “Bernie V. Lopez Eastwind” / Pages “Eastwind Journeys and Journals” and “Mary Queen of Peace”.
amdg
