Faith in the Bible is famously illustrated in the story of David and Goliath.

This is a classic example of what can be accomplished through one person who chooses to exercise faith in God.  The story has served as one of the greatest inspirations for believers down through the centuries.  It may be the best-known underdog story ever.  David achieved a victory for his people against dramatically overwhelming odds.  The New Testament of the Bible reminds us to live by faith; this Old Testament story gives us a detailed demonstration of what can happen when a person of faith in God chooses to put that faith into action.

In the ancient world, a typical tactic of warfare was that after the battle lines were drawn, a champion from each side was chosen and they would fight each other on behalf of the entire army.  It was a fight to the death, and the losing side would submit to the winning side.  This was a way of preventing the terrible carnage of war.  It also created some incredible individual champions.  A champion would be selected not only for his ability to fight, but also for his impressive stature so that there was an intimidation factor to it all.

Saul was the King of Israel.  He was the logical choice for the combat since he was a head taller than all the other Israelites.  He made for an impressive looking soldier.  But compared to Goliath (at 9-feet tall), Saul looked like a little kid.  The intimidation factor worked.  Saul was downright afraid and was not about to put himself out there to face a giant.

The explanation for the two contrasting responses between David and Saul toward Goliath is simple: David was brave because of faith in God; Saul was fearful because he was not a man of faith in God.  God doesn’t look at outward appearances; he looks at the heart.

The opposite of faith is not unbelief; it is fear. 

aith is like a muscle; it grows and develops as it does the hard work of trusting God in the daily stresses of life.  The development of faith is a process, and it takes a lot of time.  Through daily Bible reading and prayer; and, putting what we read into practice; the faith muscle begins to grow large and strong. God is preparing us to face down some awfully big giants.

Faith is the opposite of fear.  We all need to overcome two great fears: being found inadequate; and, being controlled by another person or circumstance.  Those two fears were evident in King Saul.  He felt inadequate because he compared himself to Goliath.  He felt controlled by the situation because the Philistines were picking a fight.  So, he did nothing.  There are many people in this world who would rather do nothing than be labelled as inadequate or controlled.

David, in contrast, had lots of practice facing down foes, the bear and the lion, who threatened his flock of sheep.  David was often out in the countryside all by himself as a shepherd, and his skills were developed in real life or death situations.  So, the way to deal with our development of faith is to be assertive in pursuing a daily relationship with God, as well as stepping out and serving others with courage.

It was not just Saul that was intimidated by Goliath; the entire army of Israel was hiding behind the battle lines cringing in fear.  In contrast, puny little David discerned that there was no reason to avoid a big bullying blowhard like Goliath.

It appears David was the only person able to see Goliath as he really was: a small person in comparison to a big God.  By faith, David understood that Goliath is no match for God.

One person acting in faith can accomplish the improbable while an army full of fear cannot accomplish a thing.  We might think that everything in the Christian life must be large with a big splash to it.  Somehow, we reason, if we had an elaborate program with lots of people, then we could accomplish big things for God.  Yet, we need to step out in courageous faith.  Oftentimes we want an army of people because then we can still hide behind other people’s bravery while continuing to nurse our secret fears and insecurities.

Here is a reality check:  No other person can do our faith and relational work for us.  Ignoring our problems or problem-people won’t make them go away.  Goliath wasn’t going anywhere.  He was there the next day and the day after that.  But if we will own the faith boot camp that God wants to put us through, then we will be prepared like David to take on the giant.

The greatest single element all Christians need in this life is to exercise faith to confront the true problem he/she faces.  Let that one sink into your forehead….