Lewis Memorial UMC

What is the worst thing that you have ever had to deal with in your lifetime? Regardless of your age you have faced some kind of hard time while on this earth. As Christians we have the wonderful mind and heart knowledge that we will never face anything on our own! Speaking of facing things, we must all face our giants! Have you ever heard that saying before? To be able to live our lives without fear we must face our giants! If you know that there is something that seems too big in your way then hoping that it just goes away will not get it done. We all come across obstacles in our path that one way or another we must deal with. We can decide to try to go around it or by-pass it somehow. We can just stay where we are and try to avoid it. We can turn around and run the other way. But these decisions really don’t take care of the problem so we must face it and deal with it straight on. This is sometimes easier said than done. How do you do it? How do you decide to get up the strength and courage to face your giants?

Every day someone is faced with dealing with some kind of health issue. Every day someone is forced to deal with an addiction or a temptation in this world. Every day someone somewhere must decide what they are going to do with the giant in front of them. They must make a decision to either face the problem head on or walk away from it and hope it disappears. Sometimes it does disappear. Other times it can get worse. Hoping that a giant problem just goes away rarely works! And the time we spend worrying about it can cause a real emotional crippling effect on our lives that can be worse than any physical effect. At some point or another we must all learn to face our giants.

What are yours? What problems or fears or painful memory is a giant issue in your life? Maybe you don’t have any right now! Maybe you have recently taken care of a giant! If so then praise the Lord and shout for joy! But another one may be coming around the corner.

Are you ready? Do you have the strength to face it? Do you have the tools and weapons you will need? Will you be able to defeat it or will it defeat you? Hear the good news! You do not have to face it alone and although God never promised that you would not be IN a storm He did promise that He would provide for all of your needs THROUGH the storm! “Lo, I am with you always!”

David faced a real, physical giant in his life and he dealt with it head on. He was just a boy, but he knew that God was with him. The story of David and Goliath is a great story about the under dog winning the fight. It’s a story about good versus evil. It’s a story about faith in God. It’s a story that most of us know real well and if you think about it it is amazing that it only took one stone to defeat the giant and powerful Goliath. One stone! That’s all it took!

But what I want you to think about today is how many stones David had left. He had 4 more stones! Why did he have extras? Why did he pick up a total of 5 to begin with? Maybe David had 4 more stones just in case he needed them. Maybe he had 4 more stones to be used if he missed the first or second or third or forth time. Whatever the case he had 4 more stones at his disposal.

Look back with me at 1Samual 17: 40. We read right before this how David came to Saul and explained how God had saved him many times from lions and bears and how David knew he would be protected against Goliath as well. After trying on some war clothes that did not fit David prepared for battle.

It’s significant that David did not wear any armor and went out as he was. What he wore was not what was going to save him! This shows that he had total trust in the Lord that God would protect him. In 1Samual 17:40 we read that David, “… took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”

Why did David pick up 5 stones if he was so confidant that God would help him prevail against this giant? The story tells us that David killed Goliath with his first shot so why pick up 5 to begin with? If he was so confident why not pick up just one? Maybe the 4 additional stones were for later on. Maybe he had 4 more stones for some other giants that would very likely come against him.

Friends, God provides all of our needs and I believe that God gives us the extras that we need as we face the giants in our lives. More than likely you have all dealt with and defeated at least one giant in your life and I believe that God has given you additional stones to handle whatever may come up against you in the future. By giants I don’t mean a 9 foot tall monster trying to physically destroy you and your family. But a giant can be many different things like temptation, illness, addiction or a memory or a phobia of some sort. A giant can be anything that causes great fear or possible destruction – mentally, physically, or spiritually speaking – and it makes living life for the Lord a near impossibility.

I think David kept his 4 extra stones and probably used them at different times throughout his life. I think he missed an opportunity when he could have used one to defeat temptation with the whole Bathsheba incident. But think about for yourselves where you can possibly use yours.

The stones refer to characteristics and resources that I believe all of us posses because of Jesus Christ. Jesus used His to fend off the temptations of Satan while in the desert for 40 days and nights. He used an extra stone in the form of scripture. Remember how Jesus quoted from scripture to help Him? The Bible can be one of our stones and we should use it and rely upon it daily. Sword….Battle…

Another stone is the power of prayer! Jesus used prayer to help Him and to give Him strength when He had to face His arrest and death. Remember how He prayed to God in the Garden of Gethsemane as well as while He was on the cross?

A third stone could be the strength we receive from our family and friends. Jesus had His disciples around Him during His 3 plus years of ministry and although they probably drove Him crazy sometimes – as family and friends can do – I believe He cherished their love and even relied on them more than we will ever know. Our family and close friends are like stones for us when we face hard times. I know I have depended upon my family especially when I needed one of my extra stones. As some of you know when I turned 40 years old I started falling apart! My back started giving me trouble which led to being bed-ridden which led to a blood clot in my right leg which found its way to a whole in my heart I had since birth which led to a minor stroke! I used one of my stones when I had to face this giant of a health issue and I thank my wife and kids for their love and help during that difficult time. I also thank God for that extra stone!

I think a fourth stone is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. That is a gift that is right here with us everyday, but I believe we fail to utilize its power. Toward the end of May we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday and it is remembered because the gift of the Holy Spirit came upon about 3000 followers all at the same time. There was no doubt that they felt the power of God with them!

The Holy Spirit is that incredible presence in your life that guides you and helps you in every day situations as well as helps you deal with whatever problem is staring you in the face. When we allow the Holy Spirit to do what it does then we will go where the Lord sends us and we will do what the Lord calls us to do without fear!

God helps us face the troubles in our lives especially when we might not want to do so. He gives us the resources we need to face not only the one big thing in front of us at the moment, but also many other things that may be coming down the road we are traveling.

David had 4 more stones. You may have even more. God provides! And through Jesus Christ we are able to stand against any foe, against any painful memory, against any situation, against any giant and come out victorious.

What giant are you going to have to face today, tomorrow, or in the near future? Are you ready? Do you have your stones?