Some of you are trusting God in very difficult situations right now. Sometimes you need extra courage to unquench your clinging fists and open up your hands to what God has ahead. Life is tough, uncertain, and full of new twists and turns that seem to come out of nowhere. I know you don’t seem to get much publicity. I’m searching online, but I can’t seem to find headlines like “[Your Name] totally trusted in God today.” You probably think your life of trust is something no one notices. Think again. People may not just be noticing, they may be overcoming major battles by the inspiration they receive from your testimony.

Wait, before we move on, is trust in God something that affects your life? Is my description of uncertainty and trials accurate? Or maybe it doesn’t apply to you. Maybe this post is just me talking to myself about my current state of life. Even so, I think it will apply to you. (If not, you should definitely complain to the editing staff about authors making false claims about the readers.)

What Bible story or character comes to mind when you think of trust in God? King Saul and Goliath, right? Hmm, or maybe not. Come to think of it, umm…I dont’ recall hearing much about Saul’s trust. Actually, I just realized it is a crucial aspect of the story of David and Goliath and I have always overlooked it. But did he trust God, or was that just David? If he did, who was it in? And how strong was it?

I believe just like ours, his trust in God changed according to circumstances. In other words I mean it grew as he saw God work, and perhaps shrunk as he faced trials and tests.

I simply cannot understand what Saul was thinking when he allowed David to go through with his crazy notion of taking on Goliath. After all, David’s big, tough, good-looking warrior, battle trained and experienced brothers thought David was insane and foolish to even entertain the thought of volunteering. Saul must have had trust in God, because he certainly would not have in David. He wouldn’t have just acted on a casual whim, “eh, go for it, what do we have to lose.” Because they did have something to lose — everything.

The fight was an enormous gamble. Not for David’s life, nor for Goliath’s life. Too often I’ve forgotten the severity of the terms. If the Israelite volunteer failed, the entire nation of Israel would lay down their weapons and become miserable helpless slaves to a pagan people who blasphemed God! This wasn’t just a roll of the dice and hope for the best. This was a matter of utter humiliation and a life of hardship for the entire nation.

Despite the odds, it seems that David’s zeal for God and his trust in Him for victory had an effect on the rest of the weary Israelite army as well as the humiliated king.

Sadly, the king here was not being a leader. Remember, he was a head above the rest of the people! He wasn’t as big as Goliath, but he was certainly closer than the rest. King Saul was the most capable and suited man for the job of dueling Goliath. But then again, we remember what God reminded the prophet Samuel a little later in I Samuel 16:7 about not looking at appearance and height. If there was to be victory, it would be God’s victory through a willing servant. It would be clear to all that the victory was not won because of an even match of warriors, but by God who used an insanely uneven match between a fearsome giant and a young teenager.

Putting Saul’s poor leadership aside, the fact remains that he at least was inspired enough by David’s great trust to allow him to put the life of the nation in jeopardy. I personally believe his faith was strengthened by David’s testimony. When he saw David stand up for what was right and commit to removing blasphemy, he too took courage and trusted God.

Does your zeal for God and your trust in Him influence others to do “insane” things because they have observed your life and have seen what your God can do? In other words, does the way you are trusting God right now with a struggle encourage someone to also trust God, even to the point of going to extremes and putting God ahead of their own benefits? Does the way you stand up for what is right inspire someone else?

You may never know. Maybe you don’t think your life is doing anything like that. Maybe though, your faith and actions will help lead a multitude of people out of slavery and into victory!

Be encouraged, my friend. The road ahead is uncertain, difficult, and full of surprises, but if we open our hands to the will of God we will have strength to proceed into freedom (and others will come along because of you).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”         – Proverbs 3:5-6