What is Your Giant?

In his book, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby writes, “What you believe about God will determine what you do and how you live.” What do you believe about God? Do you believe He is able to kill your giants? If you were a little shepherd boy faced with Goliath, would you have worn King Saul’s armor or would you have had the faith to believe that God would enable you to defeat the giant with what was in your hand?

What is your giant?       What is in your hand?

When my two young boys were in a car wreck in 1998, I was faced with the biggest giant of my life. Could I forgive my ex-husband for driving under the influence of several narcotics? Could I forgive him for being responsible for the death of our youngest son, Jake? Could I forgive him for putting our other son, Garrett, in Children’s Hospital with multiple injuries?

I don’t think I had any choice.

When David was faced with the giant, listen to his words: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

I wasn’t a shepherd boy, but I had experience fighting things that threatened to take my life. For the ten years prior to the accident, the Lord delivered me from the paw of oppression and abuse. I had to believe that He would also deliver me from the hand of the giant of grief. Otherwise, the giant would kill me instead.

Most people fight giants with the armor of this world. The world’s response to tragedy and injustice is often revenge and justified anger.

When David went to fight the giant, Saul gave him his armor, but it weighed too much for David. He couldn’t move around in it. Instead, he chose to use what was familiar to him. His weapons were different. He used five smooth stones.

Likewise, the weapons of this world were too heavy for me. I couldn’t move around in bitterness and the world’s justice. Instead, I picked up God’s weapons to fight my giant—5 smooth stones to hit the enemy between the eyes and knock him down to the ground. It doesn’t sound very ladylike, but then—I chopped his big ole ugly head off!

Here are my five smooth stones:

• Greater is He is me than he that is in the world.
• He that dwells in the secret place will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He shall command His angels concerning me to guard me in all of my ways. No weapon formed against me shall prosper.
• God makes all things work together for His good.
• His grace is sufficient. His power is perfected in our weakness.
• He gives me a garment of praise for a spirit of despair.

You don’t need the weapons of this world. God’s word is more powerful than a two-edged sword. Get out your five smooth stones and get ready to cut off your giant’s head!

Dear Heavenly Father, please surround my sister with your grace to face her own giants. When she is discouraged, I pray you would remind her of the strength she has available in You. May she dwell in Your secret place encapsulated by the joy and peace you have for her. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Questions to Ponder:

1. When giants threaten your world, what is your typical response? 

     A)  I run and hide in a “winepress” like Gideon, full of fear and doubt.
     B)  I gather my troops, constuct a battle plan and wage war.
     C)  I don’t need anyone’s help. Like Samson, I face them dead on in my own strength. 
     D)  I grab my five smooths stones like David and tackle my giant with the Word of God.

2. The world’s response to injustice is often retaliation, but God’s response is restoration. How can you apply this concept to your own giants?

3. Read over my five smooth stones. Have you used any of these in facing your own giants? If so, when? What other stones can you think of?


An extra assignment for my prayer warriors: 

My ex-husband needs a revelation that God’s power and grace is sufficient for him as well. The best ending to this story would be to see Bob set free from the giant of addiction and false beliefs of failure that have consumed his life. Would you pray that Bob’s life would be radically transformed by not just the head knowledge of God’s power, but the transforming power of God manifest in his life through complete deliverance? I’d love to have a multitude witness the miracle of God restoring his life. It’s never too late!