Goliaths

So in contrast to last week's great expectations for our Thursday night gathering on campus, this week's prospects look rather bleak.

Consider:

1. A home basketball game at 7:00 (our normal starting time) so we bumped large group back to 9:30. Will students come after already giving up two hours of their night to a basketball game? Hmmmm....

2. It's forecasted to be pouring rain at 9:30 tonight (real feel temp: a balmy 33 degrees).

3. I'm speaking and it's 6:29 and I'm not ready to speak yet.

Any of numbers one and two would most likely cut deeply into our turnout. Both? Not likely to be a great night.

David in meeting up with Goliath has a vastly different take on the obstacle that faces him as compared to the others around him. All the warriors to this point have been looking at Goliath's size and power in comparison to their own stature and abilities. What David does when he shows up is ask "who is this jerk who dares to stand up against the army of the Living God?" (loosely paraphrased). Rather than compare Goliath to himself, he compares Goliath to God. It makes all the difference. One smooth stone later, and Goliath is laid out.

So I'm trying to hold out hope that God's bigger than a home basketball game and that he can make the rain hold off for an hour or so and that he can help me pull this talk together in the next two hours.

I just struggle to really believe it.