No Pressure // Goodbye Fear: Part 2
Reading Time: 7 minutes
“The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.
Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.”
1 Samuel 17:1-11
Have you ever felt pressure to succeed or survive? Naturally, I'm a worker, an achiever, and a fighter. But, I'm afraid of failure which is why I find myself in so many uncomfortable situations where I'm in over my head and God is telling me to trust Him. I often joke with my editor for these devotionals, Elisa, that there are so many recurring topics because these devotionals are born from my real-life journey of learning to trust God more.
I often find myself overwhelmed with the pressure of assumed responsibility. As an oldest son, pastor, and athlete, something has me feeling like when things get shaky it's my job to straighten them out. That sense of responsibility is beneficial because it helps me and the teams I'm a part of succeed. Yet, it's also a hindrance. If I’m being honest, sometimes the fear of losing or embarrassment arouses this impatient, brash leadership in me. I've had times when I'm playing basketball and because the clock is running out and my team is losing, I start overexerting myself in an attempt to win it in my own power instead of trusting the plan and strategy of my team. I've had moments where, in a meeting I feel is going south, I stop listening and watching and start talking and pushing. I’ve had times when I forget about having tact and trusting in the process and start trying to rush the results I want. I've seen this in school, leadership, and relationships. It's all a response to fear.
In the above verses, I can see Saul going through this. As the newly elected king, people trust and are relying on him. The responsibility of protecting the interests and well-being of an entire country rests on his shoulders. As the philistines move in, Saul performs a counter. He’s productive and able. He’s keeping up with the hurdles and leading his team, but another obstacle approaches that he may not be prepared for. A champion warrior steps to the stage and proposes a one-on-one fight. I can imagine all eyes falling on Saul. Like the star player on a team with the clock running down and one score needed, he is expected to be their hero. Imagine the pressure of knowing the buck stops with you, but being aware that you do not have the capacity to win the fight. I can only imagine the fear overwhelming saul. This is where we find ourselves in the story. Saul is terrified.
Saul could do a couple of things in this situation. He can cower under the pressure and give up, or maybe even try his hardest to fight on his own. He knows this is not in his capacity, but maybe he can try to force out a win? I know this feeling well. It’s feeling like something has to be done so you just start shooting. No tact or plan. Just strength and energy. This is often a response found in leaders and ambitious people. Your fight or flight response often has you fighting in the face of threats. This grit works well when under level-headed discipline and trust, but not as a last-second Hail Mary. When opposition comes, fear may push you to fight in your own strength, pushing and overexerting, instead of trusting the process. Like a car reaching its top speed, I can feel when I am doing too much. And much like this story, that is when faith comes in.
Saul knows something must happen. He knows he will be blamed if anything goes wrong. Saul is terrified. But when a young, scrappy kid comes and offers to help, Saul doesn't push him away. Saul takes the help. David walks into Saul's office and says he can take over. David walks in and gives Saul the opportunity to take the passenger seat and let someone else fight for once.
This story of David and Goliath has so many gems partly because it is a great preview of who Christ will be: a young, unassuming shepherd. A kid from Bethlehem who offers to fight battles for you and win. But we will forever have the choice as to if we want to continue to overexert ourselves by fighting in our own power or give him the wheel. Saul had the accomplishment and the accolades, but he had to make a decision as to where he stopped and someone else started. He had to trust enough to give someone else the opportunity to fight for him.
I want to talk to myself and the other ambitious leaders fighting out there. God has given you that internal fire for personal responsibility. I know you’ve seen it work. You are strong. But I want to remind you not to rely on your own strength. You are not in this alone. The challenge with God using you is it gives you more reason to trust yourself. When you see what God has gifted you with and the type of things you can accomplish, it's easy to try life in your own strength, wit, charisma, or work ethic. But I'm asking you to sit down and trust God and the pace He sets for your life. Trusting God means following what He says even when your way looks like a safer and more beneficial shortcut.
I used to rigorously prep the night before I had to preach. One particular Friday, I remember Kristian Dunson, one of my friends and ministry teammates, lovingly scolding me when he saw me. As I was up late, stressing to over-learn and study for what God had told me to say weeks ago, he asked, “How are you going to preach about resting in God on the Sabbath when you don't trust Him enough to believe He gave you enough to say?” Now, I'm not saying to not work hard. I'm not saying to not study to show yourself approved. But do you trust God or instead trust your ability to study, create and impact? When God tells you to sleep are you going to stay up studying or trust that He has led you to all you need right now? Don’t overexert yourself fighting in your own power. What areas do you need to trust God more in?
Trusting God sometimes won't make sense. He may tell you to trust Him and sleep when you want to stay up working. He may tell you to work on something with no obvious benefit while you trust that He will provide in the area you're stressed. Trusting Him means sometimes trusting Him above your own logic. In 2 Samuel 17, the idea of David winning this battle for the whole country didn’t make sense, but we all know the end of the story. The act of faith resulted in the victory of a nation.
What more happens when we allow God to fight for us?
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