One of the more frightening things to me is to be awakened during the middle of the night by tornado sirens. The realization that something in a matter of minutes could flatten my house is unbearable. There are many things in life that frighten us. These vary from individual and the way we respond does as well. The way a person perseveres from this is known as courage. J.R.R Tolkien was once quoted saying “Courage is found in unlikely places.” This simple quote got my mind racing about the accounts of courage in the Bible.
In 1 Samuel 17, there is one of the many examples of courage displayed throughout the Bible. It is one that is often used as a metaphor in sports. Young David up against an unlikely opponent, one not many believed he could defeat, Goliath, the Philistine giant.
In verse 45, we see the courage David has. 45 “Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Continuing down in verse 49: And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
David stood up to the Philistine. He was an unlikely person to defeat an opponent that overpowered him in every way possible. There was one thing David had on his side, and that was the Lord. David displayed true courage standing up to the Philistine. When we think there isn’t a way to overcome a fear or frightening situation, confront it knowing the Lord is with us.
