Yes, faithfulness in the ordinary is massively important. Often faithfulness in the ordinary is harder than in the extraordinary.
There is another aspect to the story in that David was also faithful in the extraordinary. Long before Goliath he trusted the Lord to help him overcome lions and bears. How many shepherds in Israel depended upon the Lord to help them barehanded in some cases take on lions and bears? Probably not many. A man after God’s own heart did.
In this life we continually face hard situations. Some face personal cancer, cancer of loved ones, long covid, other illnesses, major injuries, lack of money, bullies, unfair court decisions and the list could go on. People who trust the Lord through it all, the ordinary and the extraordinary, become unafraid of the next extraordinary thing that comes along.
Thanks for continuing to show up and trusting the Lord with whatever is in front of you. A man after God’s own heart!
There is a tie between this article and your next one but I’ll make those comments there.
Thank you, Daryl. I agree that there is a balance in David's story between faithfulness in the ordinary and faithfulness in the extraordinary. The lions and bears are often treated as a side note, but they remind us that David's trust in God was already well established long before he stepped onto the battlefield.
I also appreciate your encouragement and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the next article and seeing the connection you've spotted.
In 2013 Malcom Gladwell wrote a book called "David and Goliath". On page 6 he writes," Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often sources of great weakness." Goliath may have had acromegaly. It causes vision problems, and an over production of human growth hormone. So the "giant" actually couldn't see, and was very slow. What the Israelites saw from afar was a huge enemy. In fact, he probably was a slow, hulking blind person who needed someone to guide him.
1 Samuel 17:41 NIV
[41] Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
Yes, faithfulness in the ordinary is massively important. Often faithfulness in the ordinary is harder than in the extraordinary.
There is another aspect to the story in that David was also faithful in the extraordinary. Long before Goliath he trusted the Lord to help him overcome lions and bears. How many shepherds in Israel depended upon the Lord to help them barehanded in some cases take on lions and bears? Probably not many. A man after God’s own heart did.
In this life we continually face hard situations. Some face personal cancer, cancer of loved ones, long covid, other illnesses, major injuries, lack of money, bullies, unfair court decisions and the list could go on. People who trust the Lord through it all, the ordinary and the extraordinary, become unafraid of the next extraordinary thing that comes along.
Thanks for continuing to show up and trusting the Lord with whatever is in front of you. A man after God’s own heart!
There is a tie between this article and your next one but I’ll make those comments there.
Thank you, Daryl. I agree that there is a balance in David's story between faithfulness in the ordinary and faithfulness in the extraordinary. The lions and bears are often treated as a side note, but they remind us that David's trust in God was already well established long before he stepped onto the battlefield.
I also appreciate your encouragement and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the next article and seeing the connection you've spotted.
It’s tempting sometimes to think our ordinary days don’t matter. Your reflection here says otherwise. Thank you! So encouraging!
Thank you ☺️ I think they are the most important.
Why do competitive athletes make the sign of the cross before the race? Too late.
Fair point!😂
In 2013 Malcom Gladwell wrote a book called "David and Goliath". On page 6 he writes," Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often sources of great weakness." Goliath may have had acromegaly. It causes vision problems, and an over production of human growth hormone. So the "giant" actually couldn't see, and was very slow. What the Israelites saw from afar was a huge enemy. In fact, he probably was a slow, hulking blind person who needed someone to guide him.
1 Samuel 17:41 NIV
[41] Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
https://bible.com/bible/111/1sa.17.41.NIV
How do we misperceive our enemies?