Imagination

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 18:6-11 (day two) For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. Vs. 8

Before and after our filming of re:vlog last week the three pastors discussed this verse. The forest devoured more people than the sword. That is incredibly vivid language, which gives rise to incredibly vivid imagery. One of the things that I love about scripture is its ability to inspire the imagination. Countless songs, pictures, novels, and every other conceivable art form have been born out of a love and knowledge of scripture. To be clear, the scripture is set apart from these works. Scripture alone is sufficient. But God has created us to imagine, create, and dream. He has redeemed our whole selves, including our imaginations. It is no wonder that Tolkien took inspiration from this passage and created Fangorn Forest and the Ents for his Lord of the Rings epic. Have you ever let scripture inspire you to write, sing, or paint? It is NEVER too late to start.

Re:Verse Blog – 5/1/23

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 18:6-11 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through 2 Samuel 18:6-11 in our Spring Re:Verse Series: “Unlocking The Old Testament.”

Revert

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day seven)

“And David strapped on his sword over his military attire and struggled at walking, for he had not trained with the armor. So David said to Saul, ‘I cannot go with these, because I have not trained with them.’ And David took them off.” 1 Samuel 17:39

We usually revert to what we know or are comfortable with. The Israelites reverted to fear because their enemy was stronger than the Israelites. Saul reverted to his use of armor to protect David. For both the Israelites and Saul, they reverted to trusting in themselves or in what they could physically do. David reverted to his stone and slings. But David also reverted to his trust in the Lord.

David had spent so much time trusting and learning from God that the Lord was the point he reverted to. I’ll say it again: we tend to revert to what we know and are comfortable with. When trials of faith come or when attacks threaten to knock you down or defeat you, who is it that you revert to? Do you go to yourself, trusting that you can overcome said trial on your past or on your skills? Do you trust that you will be alright and that this will be something you can handle without going to God first? Or, do you revert to the Lord and to trust that He can do anything, no matter how small and no matter how big? My prayer is that you are ready this week (and all to come!) to gird yourself first with the Lord in all things. We need Him!

Tempered

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day six)

The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!- David, 1 Samuel 17:37

Tempered steel is so strong because it has been repeatedly heated and cooled just before its boiling point. This kind of stress on the steel hardens it beyond its original composition. David’s faith is like tempered steel.

I am amazed by David’s faith in God; his trust in God’s provision. This faith didn’t come by way of acquiring knowledge but by tempering. Over time, as a goat herder, he had increasingly entrusted himself to the Lord. Can you imagine the first time he had to defend his goats against a lion or bear? David had to decide at that moment, is God good for this? Each crisis put his faith under fire and strengthened it, hardened it for battle.

This made me wonder how often my faith is tested. Do I have a risky faith that heats it up just right before its boiling point? Do I allow my faith to be tempered, like David’s? If I am going to be hardened for battle in facing Goliaths, then I must entrust myself to him when I face the lions and bears along the way.

Repeat and Remember

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day five) “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.”
What David did was incredible. No doubt about it. Killed Goliath with a sling and a stone. We know from reading 1 Samuel 17, that what actually happened was that God used David to kill Goliath. VS 46.
The biggest battle David fought (that day and often) was his inner fear (that the Israel armies had succumbed to). To them, Goliath seemed larger than God (fear). To David, God was larger than Goliath (faith). So, where did David’s faith come from?  I believe it came from “repeating and remembering”. Repeating God’s promises. And remembering God’s power. Something the Israelites failed to do. Just 3 chapter earlier in 1 Samuel, many of those same soldiers saw God use Jonathan to defeat a Philistine garrison. Yet, they forgot. That experience had left their minds.  Not David. He repeated God’s promise (anointed as king) and remembered God’s power (bear and lion). It was a constant battle and discipline for David. Read the first 25 Psalms. Fear creeps in. David prays (repeats and remembers). Finds faith. Should be for us too. Daily repeating God’s promises found in scripture. Remembering God’s power working in, around, and through us.
Being thankful to God helps shape these disciplines. When we can’t be reminded of God’s promises and God’s power, we most likely are in a place of great despair and fear. (Israelite Army) We should learn from David’s example. We find faith and courage. For the Glory of God!!

Inadequacies

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day four)

When the Lord calls us to face something big or start something new, we often convince ourselves that our current condition is not enough. We think we need to somehow add to ourselves in order to be up for the task, so we feign a confident persona, or look to worldly ideas for self-improvement, or try anything to appear as the person we think we should be, rather than who we are. We convince ourselves that we don’t have what it takes, and we try to fill in the gaps, often in vain.

David didn’t fall for this lie, though. He knew that winning this battle had nothing to do with his ability, and everything to do with God’s presence. When Saul told him that he was inadequate, he tried on the clunky armor and realized it would hinder him, not help him. David walked confidently in the knowledge that he had all he needed – the Lord was with him, and the Lord had already gifted David with all the abilities he needed to take down Goliath.

When you’re staring down your next giant, don’t turn to those clunky strategies of the world. Turn to the Lord, he has already given you all that you need.

See

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day three)

“And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead.”

Saul and the army of Israel saw a physically imposing battle-hardened vanguard of the Philistine juggernaut. David saw a Philistine military vulnerable enough to present as their best move an over-confident blowhard past his prime and unprotected against severe head trauma. If God does not see as man sees, and if David was a man who followed that pattern — “after God’s own heart” — then this is what that looks like in action. May we learn from God to see like that.

Run

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day two) 

Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. vs 48

How often do you run to meet a challenge? How often do you face insurmountable odds and danger with abandon? More importantly, how often do you feel the pleasure of the Lord in what you are called to do? Call it the impetuousness of youth if you like, but there is more than youthful zeal in David’s action. He has rightly discerned that if the Lord is for you, then nothing that opposes you will stand. This isn’t just a beloved Old Testament story, this is our spiritual reality. God doesn’t measure obstacles the way we do, just as he didn’t judge a king’s stature when choosing David. Know the Lord is on your side, and run to face whatever challenges are in your way.

Re:Verse Blog – 4/24/23

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 17:38-51 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through 1 Samuel 17:38-51 in our Spring Re:Verse Series: “Unlocking The Old Testament.”

Godhead

Re:Verse passage – 1 Samuel 16:5-13 (day seven)

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. vs 13

Even before Pentecost, there were manifestations of the Holy Spirit within individuals whom God had chosen for miraculous works. As we have studied in previous weeks, Joshua, Samson and many others were filled and equipped just when they needed it most. It was not their own power that led them, but the power of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is not a construct that came about solely out of New Testament texts. Interwoven from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is a story about the Godhead. We can see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working as One on every page. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This same God has chosen you today. He has filled you with His Spirit. What miraculous works is He empowering you to do?