June 20, 2021
Happy Father’s Day! A big thanks to all the dads and men who help us learn and grow. You know parents with kids at home are the most important leaders on earth! It’s not easy being a parent. You can try to tell your children what you need them to do, but children tend to be terrible at doing what we say, but great at doing what we do! Have you ever yelled at your kid to be quiet? I have. Think about it: yelling, doing the opposite of what you want them to do! It doesn’t work so well. Because children do what we do, not what we say!
Parents are most important influence on their child’s faith. Parents are very important faith teachers. How is that? Because whatever you do, your children are watching! What do you do in a challenging time? Do you believe God can work a miracle? Faith is courage! It’s bravery based on God. It’s stepping up and taking a risk because you listen to God.
Today we’re looking at the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. In this story, two armies are looking at each other, across a valley, for days. King Saul is afraid to go to battle against the Philistines. So, the two armies: the army of Israel and the army of the Philistines just sit there. Goliath is from the Philistine army. He takes the impasse as an opportunity to taunt and strike fear in the soldiers of Israel. Twice a day for 40 days, Goliath, who was over 7 feet tall and wearing heavy armor, comes out and says, “This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” King Saul and all the Israelites are terrified, and no one is brave enough to fight Goliath.
David is young, so his older brothers are in the army, while David stays home and tends his father’s sheep. One day David’s father sends him out to bring food to his brothers and see how they are. David goes to see them on the battle line. Goliath comes out and says his thing: “I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight!”
David doesn’t like this! He asks: “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
The king and the soldiers all lost courage. They lost courage in themselves, but more tragically, they lost courage in God! Sometimes, an outsider comes in, and sees what the people in a situation don’t see. David is that outsider. He’s a kid who says, “This is not right! Why are we letting this giant Goliath bully us and bully God?”
David’s brother says to him, “You are just conceited, and you left the flock of sheep alone, and you just want to watch the battle!” But David perseveres. He goes to King Saul, who says, “you’re just a boy. You can’t fight him.” David tells Saul, I’ve killed lion and bear. I can do this!
In a situation where a king and his army have lost courage, David has the courage to take a risk and fight Goliath. He doesn’t listen to Goliath or anyone who tries to tear him down. When King Saul tries to give David battle armor, David decides not to wear it. He trusts in God, not armor. David is just going to do what he can do, and trust God to do what only God can do. David goes to battle against Goliath with a slingshot and wins!
1000 years after David, Jesus lived and ministered. Jesus praised people, not for having lots of wealth. He didn’t praise people for being strong or being smart. He praised people who took a risk, who had faith.
For example, in Mark 12 Jesus sees a widow put two little coins in an offering plate. What she gave was only a few cents. But Jesus says she gave more than the rich people who put a lot of money in, because she gave all she had! Don’t do what she did. But she took a huge risk! She did what she could do for God, and trusted God to do what only he could do. She had the courage to believe God would provide.
Another person whose faith amazes Jesus is a Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:22. She cried out to Jesus that her daughter is oppressed by a demon. Jesus’ disciples beg Jesus to send her away because she has been following them around. Jesus tells her, “I was sent only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she doesn’t take no for an answer. She kneels down in front of Jesus and asks for help again. Jesus says, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She says, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus praises her, “O woman, great is your faith!”
I wish Jesus didn’t say, “I didn’t come to heal your people.” That sounds mean. But the story is showing, how the idolatrous, (Canaanites worshipped idols and often got the Jews worshipping idols) non-Jewish peoples of the world can become part of the people of God, just by faith.
Jesus praises her, “Wow! Great is your faith! You believe in God’s power, even without knowing much about God! You persevere, you don’t quit, even when I test your faith. You have courage!” She did everything she could to help her daughter, to ask Jesus for help. And she trusted God would do what only He can do.
Courage is part of faith. We talk about courage on Father’s Day because Dads tend to take more risks. They play rougher with their kids than Moms. I remember my husband Kevin throwing his great nephew, when he was a baby, up in the air. I thought, “I wouldn’t throw him so high; he might fall!”
I don’t mean you have to throw babies in the air. It’s just that dads have a bit of advantage on courage. They like risks. Courage is part of faith. So, I encourage Dads to lean into their strength, which is courage, take a risk, believing what God can do. Your kids are paying close attention to what you do. They are not as good at doing what you say. They are very good at doing what you do.
When my grandfather was 31, he was married and had a family. He was working and taking classes at business school at the time of the flood of 1913 in Dayton, Ohio. The flood was the biggest natural disaster in Ohio history. Over 100 people died in Dayton. Rivers overflowed and levees failed. Grandpa had class that evening and decided to go to business school! He had to make detours. When he got there, his teacher asked, “Mr. Sacksteder, what are you doing here?” He says, “I came to learn!” He was the only student there.
This was a story my family told. I think this family story means, you persevere. You don’t let anything stand in your way, you don’t give up. And someone was watching! My brother, Pat, graduated from high school and decided to go to that same school grandpa went to. Pat has severe dyslexia. But he graduated, right on time in two years, from that business school. The lesson learned was you take a risk, you have faith that God will get you through, don’t let anything stop you!
Take risks, have courage, have faith in what God can do through you! The kids are watching. The next generation is paying attention to our behavior, and they see when we have courage and faith in God. Have courage in yourself and also believe in your kids. Encourage them to take risks: the good risks. To do things believing in what God can do. To step out in faith.
My homework for you this week is to ask yourself: what would you do if you were confident God was with you? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
David took a big risk and had courage to face Goliath because he had faith that God would come through. The widow who put all she had in the offering took a big risk, because she knew the power of God to provide. The Canaanite woman took a risk, because she knew Jesus was kinder than he seemed, and God had the power to heal. Do what you can do, and trust God to do what only He can do. Amen.
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