The Giant

People have asked how to pray for us.  It's a hard question sometimes-when it feels like I'm living in someone else's story, someone else's body-to be able to get clear enough eyes and head to answer the question.  Some have asked God themselves what to pray and have shared what He said-even written their prayers out to us.  A couple in particular we have trusted as God's words to us.  I'll share those someday.
Today it feels like there's a raging sea in me.  It calms, and then wind comes and the waves get big.  I feel them in my throat and then it settles.  It makes me sound unstable.  But there's much Scripture about Jesus calming the storm-about Him being the anchor.  I KNOW He commands the sea, and the tide; He tells it where to stop and start.  Today, you can pray for the sea in me.

Scott went to work today, which feels weird.  As if I can control the situation and keep him safe, if he is near for me to stare at!  Silly.  Again, the sea.  We spoke this morning and are chewing on the story of David and Goliath--the kid and the giant.  David was handsome ya know-super appropriate!

I sat in my car at Target and read parts of this aloud, tears rolling down my cheeks.  If you saw me, hopefully you prayed out loud, instead of questioning my sanity.  There is power in God's Word.  It is living and active--it cuts through joints and marrow (Praise Him for that!), it never returns void.  It is the Rock we stand on and it doesn't fail.  So if you're unsure of how to pray for us today, read this with us today.  Bold and proud somewhere, alone in your home, wherever you want.  I encourage you to read the whole thing (1 Samuel 17--I only put part below)--get the context and the feel.  Feel their fear and doubt.  Don't get distracted by describing words and places you don't know how to pronounce.  When you get to the bold parts, read it loud.  We have a battle that isn't with sword and spear--we are fighting this giant with the Lord of hosts! 

1 Samuel 17 (part of it)

24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and 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. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You 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, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”