Dear Father,

I often ponder Goliath’s boldness and audacity in challenging the army of an entire nation. He proclaimed, “Am I not a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me…” Why did he believe himself to be the strongest? Was he equating strength with size? The challenge in retelling the story of David’s victory over Goliath is that, in acknowledging the supernatural aspect of his triumph, we often pay less attention to his skill.

Goliath was strong, but David stood upon two foundations: Your sustaining power and mastery of his skill. I see how often this applies in other areas of life. Mastery in a particular field can give rise to a pride that suggests a person can do no wrong. His evident results can relinquish his sense of dependence on You, as though skill alone were enough to keep him standing.

The list is endless: from those who live as though You do not exist to those who know You exist, yet have achieved such great results and mastery that they no longer seek You. Whenever I encounter such people, I think also of Goliath, who believed strength was all he needed to prevail.

Perhaps there is wisdom in praying as though we have not practiced and practicing as though we have not prayed. Perhaps this is the balance we are meant to keep.

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindu
Slide 5: Urdu

#LettertoGod
#faith
#skill
#mastery
#strength