Is There Not a Cause?

The lines were drawn.

The Philistines were encroaching on Judean lands, encamped between Sochoh and Azekah. Attack was impending but delayed, perhaps because of the difficulty of moving their war chariots through the steep ravine that runs through the middle of the Valley of Elah.

Saul and the men of Israel gathered in the Valley, waiting for the inevitable.

The Philistines' giant-champion, Goliath, presented himself 40 days, morning and evening - looking for a fight.

The Israelites cowered.

David, sent to the lines by his father to bring supplies to his brothers who were engaged in the stand-off, began to ask what would be done for the man who accepted the giant's challenge.

This brought a response from his brother,

^"'Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.'
And David said, 'What have I done now? Is there not a cause?'" (1 Samuel 17:28-30).

You know the rest of the story. David triumphed over the giant.

In the midst of our busy lives, to which we are over-involved but under-committed, it would serve us well to carry that question in our heart.

The enemy has mastered discouragement and fear, using them as effectively today as he did against Saul and his men. But the right question asked with the right motive ignites our courage, disperses our fears and prepares us for the victory.

There IS a cause. It DOES matter. We MUST pursue, with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, the giants in our lives.