PODCAST

Afraid But Not Alone

January 23rd, 2023

1 Samuel 17:1-11

Goliath is frightening! How can an average person take on someone of this size? Here is a giant of a man with giant-sized armor. The challenge he poses seems unfair and unwinnable.

The response to the defiant Goliath is understandable: “Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified” (v. 11). This ought to be encouraging to us. If we stood before the great giant of the past we too might be scared, discouraged, and wondering what the future holds. And it is in this very human state that God meets His people. No doubt, we want to be people of deep faith, but we need to recognize that God can meet us in our terror, anxiety, and despair. In the darkest moments of our lives, we may have less faith and more fear but that does not mean God cannot work for us and in us.

Today there is much to be anxious for and in the face of such Goliath-like challenges we may be filled with uncertainty, so “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Author: Dustin Metcalf