“Come Holy Spirit” – Give us Courage

Give us courage to face our giants

“A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels^; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.  His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.” 1 Samuel 17:4-7

Like Goliath, our fears can seem huge. As we stand before those fears, they grow. Goliath stood about 9’9” tall – he was a very big man. But, as the men of Israel gaze upon him day after day, he grows bigger. And worse, they let him become part of their lives.

Goliath attacked us in the one place upon which we should find strength – God. ““This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” – 1 Samuel 17:10. This is exactly what our fears do to our soul. Our fears stand before us, defying God and our faith. The goal of fear is to make us become ‘dismayed and terrified’ as the Israelites before Goliath.

Faith and fear cannot exist.

David shows the strength of faith – absolute faith and trust in God. Thousands cower before Goliath, yet little David steps forward in faiths. He defies the fears standing before this army and himself by calling upon God.

““You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. “ 1 Samuel 17:45-46

He faces fear, unarmored and armed only with five smooth stones. And, God.

We know how this story ends. David defeats Goliath easily and absolutely.

Facing our fears is the same. We can cower before those fears or we can stand in the power of God’s. Then, we see these fears as tools of God’s power to sanctify us and those who see our victory.

We will all face moments in which fear screams against us. Sometimes so loudly that we can feel this scream physically. We need to trust in God fully in that moment pick up the stone of our faith and the faith of our God’s presence.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

“The Lord is my rock” psalm 18:2

Come Holy Spirit – strengthen us against our fears. We don’t ask You to remove the moment of fear but simply give us the faith to face it. Sanctify us, Lord with this giant that we may overcome and draw attention to Your glory. Give us true courage – fearlessness because You are with us always.

Give us courage in the knowledge “the battle is the Lord’s” – 1 Samuel 17:47. Give us courage that we may run like David to fave our fears in the power and glory of God. For God will deliver up the victory.