Pack Your Baggage, HoneySample

But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God” (1 Sam. 17:34-36). 

Imagine David standing before King Saul, assuring him he can handle this gigantic Goliath victoriously. Saul must be thinking, David has got to be kidding. But Saul’s doubt doesn’t dissuade David. 

David tells Saul all the ways God had prepared him for this very moment through experience and practice on a smaller scale without heavy armor and large swords. He had plenty of practice against lions and bears that were attacking his sheep. Maybe he went into such detail to reassure Saul that he was fit for the fight with this giant Goliath. Maybe he thought Saul would refuse to let him fight. But more likely, it was to remind himself that the God of the past was the same God Who would be there for him in the present and far into the future. 

David knew God’s faithfulness was something that he could depend on, and his recounting of his past experiences bolstered his own faith. He needed to be encouraged, strengthened, and fortified for the fight that was about to come. He needed to remember. 

Our “remembering” moves us toward victorious living, too. Acknowledging God’s activity teaches us to keep our radar up so we can see with spiritual eyes how He is working. 

Laying aside emotional baggage isn’t easy; but if we are tuned in to God’s faithfulness and stay alert with our spiritual eyes, we can see how He is at work. David could have gone out on the field with Goliath on his own without looking to God, but the outcome would not have been the same. It is the same for us—God is looking to work on our behalf. He desires to strongly support His children. He is faithful. Remembering His faithfulness is an important step in finding freedom from baggage-hauling.