When That Armor Just Doesn't Fit

Scripture: David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 1 Samuel 17:39

Observation: David, outraged, prepares to come up against Goliath. Though David is hopelessly outmatched, he goes in the name of the Lord. Saul tries to equip David with his armor and weapons, but David realizes he is not a warrior; he is a shepherd. Robes and slings will be his strategy. David trusts in who the Lord made him to be, not in who others need him to be.

Application: This weekend I am speaking to a group at a conference. When I think about my topic, I get a little intimidated—it is outside my area of expertise. I wonder if they should have gotten someone else to deliver this talk, someone with the training and tools to really bring this topic to light. In recent weeks of preparation, I feel I have been trying on different suits of armor, trying to be a warrior. But I am a shepherd. I have to go out to meet this group as myself, as who God made me to be, not wearing the armor of another. God knew what he was doing when he called me here, and I can go in confidence in the name of the Lord.

Prayer: God, help me to go out today in Your name. Free me from the pressure of another man’s armor. For your reasons, you chose me to be the one to do this talk. I pray you would let me go out with my staff and sling, and throw for the fences. Thanks for qualifying those you call. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10