(Post republished from April 23, 2022.)
“O God! Your way is holy! No god is great like God! You’re the God who makes things happen;
you showed everyone what you can do— You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble,
rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph.”
(Psalm 77:13 MSG)
Yesterday my family and I watched a movie about the Apollo 11 moon landing mission in 1969. It was a beautifully made movie, with only footage and recordings of the original event – no narrator or fictitious subplot needed. It was amazing to think of these three men who were in such peril for such a magnificent goal. But almost more amazing was the army of people who made the trip possible. There were hundreds (thousands?) of white-shirt/black-tie men (and a few women) whose extraordinary scientific, mathematical, engineering, medical, and military skills worked together to bring the three astronauts to the moon and back.
That event happened at a time when the serious people in our society/culture could band together for a common good and a common cause. Thousands of people watched television and shared the experience of, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” And tens of thousands of people held their breath, waiting, while the capsule with the three astronauts reentered the earth’s atmosphere and did not communicate with Ground Control. When they finally made contact, the collective rush of relief was palpable, even in the room we were in 52 years later. Most of the people in that movie theater hadn’t been alive during Apollo 11, but we, today, could still celebrate the amazing achievement.
I found myself almost in sad tears while watching. I wonder if “we” today could believe in such a lofty goal and then work together to make it happen. Our world feels very broken right now – and definitely not very capable of working together to accomplish a common goal. Even Jesus’s Church is fraught with division, controversy, lukewarm-ness, and other challenges. Would we have what it takes to do extraordinary things in extraordinary times?
There are extraordinary stories of courage, both in the modern world and in the Bible. The Bible tells us a story of extraordinary courage in 1 Samuel 17 when the army of King Saul was lined up across the battlefield with the army of the Philistines, and for forty days the “Champion” Goliath taunted the Israelites. Goliath was between 7 and 11 feet tall, a seasoned fighter who wore significant and heavy armor, and was used to winning. He’d even called for one-to-one combat to settle the stand-off:
“Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified…Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.” (1 Samuel 17:8-11, 24 NIV)
To counteract this extraordinary hubris and strength was a young shepherd. David was a shepherd who had three older brothers fighting in Saul’s army and he had brought food supplies to them. When he heard Goliath’s taunts he weighed the situation, and then went to fight the “Champion” himself.
“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47 NIV)
You probably know the story of the boy who used his slingshot and a stone to fell the giant. In the end Goliath was dead, David was a hero, and the enemies of the Israelites were defeated. Is that possible today? Is it possible to defeat the spiritual forces and human ideas causing such division and strife in our world?
Yes. David stepped in front of Goliath with exceptional courage, but with a firm understanding of who he was and who GOD IS. He knew the battle was the Lord’s and so he could come against Goliath in the name of the Lord Almighty. We know our battles are the Lord’s and so we pray against our Goliaths in the name of the Lord God Almighty.
Extraordinary times need extraordinary people to take extraordinary steps because we believe in an extraordinary God.
Extraordinary God,
You are holy and there is no god as great as you! You make things happen and you have shown us all that you can do, pulling your people out of the worst kinds of trouble and rescuing us from despair and hopelessness. Thank you for the many stories in the Bible about your people who showed extraordinary strength and courage. Thank you for the many stories in our personal lives, in the life of this nation, and in history in general that show your sovereignty and your kind and gracious care for us. Fill us with great faith so we have the knowledge of your will, wisdom and understanding, and extraordinary strength, endurance, and patience. Give us an even greater measure of your Spirit so that we are joyful and thankful, even when we face the struggles of this world. Remind us that you have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into Jesus’s Kingdom and that through our prayers we can take authority over these battles. May our lives be worthy of you, pleasing to you, and bearing fruit in every good work. In Christ’s name, Amen.
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:9-14 NIV)