In front of me stands something incredibly large. Invincible, in fact. It appears to be a tank, shroud entirely in heavy armor–a tank with eyes. He stands more than nine feet tall. His armor weighs 125 pounds, more than my entire body weight, which doesn’t even account for the fifteen pounds just for the tip of his spear. Champion. That is his title and no doubt he has properly earned it. Me? Well, I’m a shepherd. That qualifies me, doesn’t it? What, you find that ridiculous? You think me silly to stand in front of this enormous beast? Oh, you want to know where my weapons are. Well, I’m not used to walking around in armor, so I took it off and I decided to carry my good ol’ sling and a few stones instead of those cumbersome swords.

“Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? Come here,” he jeers, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” (I Samuel 17:44) Silly man. He thinks his size will save him. He puts his trust in the metal that covers his body. In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (Psalm 56:4)

I hear the shouts coming at me from every direction, both from those in my camp and those in my enemies’. They find me incredulous to face this giant, but I’ll tell you what is incredulous. This man. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (I Samuel 17:26b) My God is much bigger than any “champion.”

“Hey monster-man, 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.” He laughs and snorts, thinking my God to be as powerless as his. “This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, 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” (I Samuel 17:45-47).

A hush falls over the land as I place one of my smooth rocks in my sling and aim at the only non-protected part of his body: his forehead. The earth shakes as his body falls to the ground. I triumph over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in (my) hand (I) struck down the Philistine and killed him (I Samuel 17:50).

Friend, what are the giants in your life and what are you focused on? Do you see God’s supernatural ability, or do you see their fancy weaponry and compare it to the few “meaningless” stones in your pouch? Does the size of whatever you’re up against haunt you? Does that which you are called to seem too enormous? Are you overwhelmed? Feel unequipped? Ill prepared? Abandoned? I can’t promise every rock will bring your Goliaths down, but I guarantee there is one rock that will never fail you.

“There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. I Samuel 2:2

Warning:  Deep waters ahead.

I’m bypassing the shallow end of the pool today and heading straight for the diving board.  We might end up over our heads, but I believe it will be worth it.

This "joy" theme has left me in a quandary.  Though I want a life built on steadfast joy, I’m pretty certain I’m buckled into a joy rollercoaster instead.  My joy legs are a little shaky at times.  Sure, there are joyous moments, when I sense God’s presence in a tangible way, and feel his love as warm and real as the sun on my face.  During those brief spiritual summits, I celebrate.  I embrace the ecstasy, hanging on to it with both hands.  Invariably, however, the moment passes.  Feelings of hope and certainty vanish, slipping from my fingers like air.  Once again I’m insecure and uncertain.  Anyone relate?

I want a confident joy.  The kind that doesn’t come and go on a whim.  I would gladly sacrifice even the moments of great elation for the quieter, but more steadfast, kind of joy.  I’m tired of the round and round rollercoaster ride–Give me a straight stretch of solid interstate bearing due north toward a life of joy.  That’s where I want to end up.

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness…but only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return.  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.  Isaiah 35:8, 10

Where does one find this "crown of joy"?  Last time I checked, it wasn’t near the shoes and purses.  I can’t order a second-hand variety off of Ebay or borrow a friend’s.  Peter says it this way:  "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…"  (1 Peter 1:8)  Now hang with me here for a minute.  Peter’s implication is that a key to crowning, inexpressible joy is believing in that which we cannot see.  Namely Christ’s loving presence and activity regardless of any "visible" evidence.  "Believe" in the Hebrew is pisteuo, meaning "to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in."  (Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G4100). 

Hmmmmm….I wonder if my moments of ebbing joy are directly related to my waning belief in the power, presence and/or love of God?  One more glance at Peter and we’ll see he must have known what he was talking about.  If you have a Bible, flip back to Matthew 14:25-33.  Upon seeing Jesus walking across a large stretch of water, Peter boldly jumped out of a boat and began to do his own water-walking.  He moved effortlessly toward his Savior, buoyed by a confident joy, until…until the reality of the wind and waves overshadowed the reality of his Savior.  And then the raining doubts and fears left his joy a little soggy.  The result?  His joy rollercoaster took a deep plunge into the Sea of Galilee.  

Isaiah promises–as does the rest of scripture–we will step through the doors of eternity wearing a robe of redemption woven by Christ himself.  This is guaranteed, sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked by a blood-promise.  Our ransom has been paid and our future secured.  Though sorrow will be run out of town, a flood of joy beyond our wildest dreams will "overtake" us.  Literally, this word means "to secure, reach, have enough" (nasag, Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.  Electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. H5381).  We will dive head-first into a sea of rejoicing which will finally be ENOUGH.  

In the meantime, joy is still ours to be had in this life.  The key?  Dive in to the the promise of eternity.  Sink yourself into the truth of your redemption.  Believe God’s presence to the extent of constructing your life around what you know to be true, regardless of the lack of visible "evidence."  Don’t allow doubt and fear steal the show …wear true joy as your crowning achievement.  When those around you see you walking on a little water, they might just jump out of the boat, too.