One of my children struggles with depression and it is heart wrenching. It is heart wrenching to see a cloud of sadness envelop him more often than it should. It is heart wrenching when I hear him tell me that nearly every day is hard for him. And it was heart wrenching last night when I found a note on his door conveying heavy thoughts and emotions.<\/p>\n
I sat on the stairs after I found that note and wept. For what felt like an eternity. I wept because it\u2019s unfair that at such a young age he should have this impossible battle laid out before him. Not even a teenager and the deck already seems stacked against him. Most likely, he will fight against this his entire life.<\/p>\n
I want to fight it for him. I would gladly shoulder it and free him of the weight, if only life worked that way. But sitting on the stairs, all I could do was cry out to God in anguish and desperation.\u00a0 I bartered, I begged, I pleaded, I threatened.\u00a0 Finally, when I was empty and dry, I quietly whispered, \u201cI just can\u2019t fight this. This demon is bigger than him and it is bigger than me.\u201d Immediately, God whispered a response.\u00a0 \u201cBut it is not bigger than Me.\u201d\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n
Suddenly, like a flood, the dam broke and tears turned into rivers streaming down my face.\u00a0 My head in my hands, I shook and heaved with a perplexing combination of fear and faith. Fear that this demon would never truly relent.\u00a0 Faith that God would provide and protect.<\/p>\n
In that moment, the familiar story of David and Goliath, found in 1 Samuel 17, came to mind.\u00a0 While I\u2019ve read it, heard it and told it more times than I can count, last night it brought much needed revelation and comfort.\u00a0 On a Tuesday night at 10:49, sweet, strong David came to my rescue and reminded me how to fight.<\/p>\n
Lesson 1: Reduce your giant to what you know.<\/b><\/p>\n
In 1 Samuel 17:36, trying to convince King Saul of his ability, David reminds the king that \u201cYour servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
David had never killed a Philistine.\u00a0 In fact, he had most likely never killed any man. But just because he hadn\u2019t engaged this particular enemy before didn\u2019t mean he wasn\u2019t able. In a remarkable moment of clarity and wisdom, David was able to view his present battle through the lens of his past victories.<\/b> He drew confidence for the impending conflict by likening the foe before him to the ones God had already helped him defeat.<\/p>\n
We can do the same thing.\u00a0 We should do the same thing.\u00a0 While I have not battled childhood depression before, there is a long list of other enemies God has faithfully helped me engage and defeat.\u00a0 Parental divorce, multiple miscarriages, countless moves, financial hardship, just to name a few.\u00a0 And at the other end of every one of those struggles there is a glorious portrait of God\u2019s provision and victory.\u00a0 This enemy may be new, but my God is not.<\/b>\u00a0 He is the same God that won my last war.\u00a0 He is the same God who delivered me time and time again.<\/p>\n
Lesson 2: Remember the equation.<\/b><\/p>\n
After receiving a nasty insult from Goliath, in verse 45, David responds.\u00a0 \u201cYou come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I love this verse. It has such power, such promise, such perfection. While our enemies don\u2019t come at us with swords, spears or javelins, they still come at us fast and furious. And although the vehicles and methods of attack are different, their inability to outperform God is the same. Everything we are fighting simply fails and falters in His presence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou come to me with\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Fill in the blank. Death, divorce, addiction, depression, bankruptcy, and a thousand more enemies. They all lose power when they come against the name of the Lord. It doesn\u2019t matter what the components are; the equation never changes. God\u2019s power will always be greater than whatever we are facing. It\u2019s simple, brilliant math every single time.<\/b> Our foes are less than; our God is more than.<\/p>\n
Lesson 3: Reach for the right weapon.<\/b><\/p>\n
I have imagined countless times young David kneeling at the river choosing his stones. I have visualized the way the stones, in the right hands, triumphed against a giant. This truth is beautifully summed up in verse 50.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rereading this verse, the second sentence seemed new and compelling in a way I hadn\u2019t noticed before.\u00a0 \u201cThere was no sword in the hand of David.\u201d It\u2019s as if the author wanted to be sure we didn\u2019t miss that. He wanted to be certain that we understood that David\u2019s only weapons against an inconceivable opponent were a sling and a handful of stones.<\/p>\n
The truth in this is that we don\u2019t need swords in our own hands.\u00a0 We need stones in God\u2019s hands. How often do we reach for a sword with our own strength when all that\u2019s required for the job is a few rocks with God\u2019s strength? We tend to believe that the size of the fight should determine the size of our arsenal.\u00a0 A bigger enemy calls for a bigger sword.\u00a0 When in fact, a bigger enemy calls for a bigger God.<\/b> Graciously, they don\u2019t get any bigger than our God.<\/p>\n
David knew what was before him.\u00a0 He knew its potential to destroy.\u00a0 He also knew his God and used what he knew to become the hero in one of the greatest underdog stories of all time.<\/p>\n
So bring your stones. Bring a few pebbles, for that matter. The weapon isn\u2019t important.\u00a0 Either is the enemy. The field of battle doesn\u2019t matter nor what it looks like. What matters is the victor. What matters is that the battle is the Lord\u2019s. It is His to fight and His to win. Our stories are not yet finished. My son\u2019s story is not yet finished. Although today it may appear that there is so much against him, the glorious truth is that God is for him and therefore, victory is certain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
Romans 8:31<\/b><\/p>\nShare this:<\/h3>