Sunday morning the pastor of the church we attend, Rev. Neville Tan made a statement that got me thinking, “Giants in our lives can blot out the image of God.” How often in my life that has been so true.
There are times even now when the giants in my life loom so large I feel dwarfed in their shadow, and it seems difficult to see beyond them to the face of the Father.
Circumstances can seem so complex to my feeble understanding that I forget He knows the plans He has for me. Jeremiah 29:11 “11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
He is also still in control. Psalm 103:19, “19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”
Sometimes the giant takes on the face of the opinion or the criticism of another person, which grows so large that I forget whose opinion really matters. Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Please God forgive me, and bring healing to those I have wounded, when I have been the face that blocked someone from seeing You!
Hungry giants of need or want can grow so large that I forget the Fathers promise in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Decisions can become giants if I forget that even if I do not always choose well, God can somehow redeem even my stumbling by his grace. Romans 8:28 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Failures are monstrous giants because they cause me to see only myself, my faults, and not my Father’s good plan, which He alone is able to perfect. Philippians 1:6 “6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
The face of a giant can make us fearful because fear is the granddaddy of them all! However, living intimidated by this giant is not what God has provided, 2 Timothy 1:7, “7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”
What can we do when we find ourselves suddenly in the shadow of a huge threat? We can pick up those small number of weapons we know how to fight with…pebbles…our small store of pathetically learned scriptures… our few feebly sung praise songs… our weak and sometimes wavering mustard seeds of faith…
But we can take those few pebbles and turn to face our monster and shout in his face,
“Who are you to mock my God? I will take you down because my God is greater than whatever giant I face!”
We can start running at the thing we fear with all our might swinging and slinging our pebbles! Because it is not about the strength of our arm, it is about the perfect aim of a God who knows no giant can stand before His child who chooses to believe God is greater!
Down with the giants! (Please be assured, I am not referring to any particular US sport team…)