Ready:
“Blessed be the LORD, my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare.” – Psalm 144:1
Set:
David was known for being a remarkable soldier during biblical times. He is most famously known for his “freshman” highlight reel where he fought and won against a giant named Goliath. Goliath was nowhere near David’s weight class and had a great advantage over him physically. How in the world did David win the fight?
A German philosopher said it best: long obedience in the same direction. David was trained as a young man to be a shepherd. He learned to fight off predators that would come after his sheep. He learned to manage a herd of animals that had their own will and wants about them. He became resourceful in the valleys and mountains as he shepherded the flock; taping his fair share of sheep ankles and nursing snake bites. He trained well in the small things for a long time and that is how he was able to have the right mindset when the time came for him to defeat Goliath.
Every athlete knows you don’t find the right mindset once you get to the mat. That mindset is formed way before you even walk into the gym. It starts in the daily training.
David spent a lot of time alone with his sheep, but he was never truly alone. If you read through the Psalms, they are packed full of his conversations with God as he trained daily with Him. The good reps, the failed reps, the rough, the intense: he recorded it all because he knew they were all necessary.
What would it look like for us to have long obedience in the same direction in our own lives? What Goliaths could we potentially defeat that are wreaking havoc in our corners of the Kingdom? The thing about David is that his defeat over Goliath was just his freshman highlight reel. He went on to become a wonderful musician and songwriter. A man who morally failed in his weaknesses but was known as the man after God’s own heart. A man who successfully reigned as king for 40 years establishing Jerusalem as the political and spiritual heart of the nation. He went on to lead a royal dynasty that would forever shape biblical history, the ancestor of the promised Messiah.
And David credits all his success back to his Trainer: the LORD, his rock who trained his hands for battle and his fingers for warfare. His success happened through trusting his Trainer daily through long obedience in the same direction.
Go:
Will you trust God as He intentionally and specifically trains your hands and fingers for whatever Goliath might stand ahead of you? Will you trust that His reps for you are good, to strengthen you and not to harm you?
Will you obey?
Workout:
Overtime:
"Heavenly Father, thank You for being the faithful Trainer in our weakness and lack of experience. Most trainers dread working with an inexperienced athlete, but You Lord, take us in with loving arms. You are patient and compassionate and kind and we are undeserving. Help me to take in every moment with You. Amen.”