Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, October 26, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
David just went to bring his brothers some bread. Next thing you know, he’s staring up at an enormous Philistine, listening to a remarkable challenge: beat me and win the whole battle all by yourself. Whatever made David think he was the guy for the job, I have no idea. But when the situation presented itself, he just jumped in.
Sometimes it’s just about being in the right place at the right time to recognize the next thing God is calling you do to. Serendipity is one of my absolute favorite words in the English language: “the phenomenon of finding agreeable things not sought for.” And while one might question whether the opportunity to fight Goliath could be called “agreeable”, it certainly became a great victory for David, and established him solidly as an instrument of God’s love and justice.
I would up the owner of Clergy Stuff through a chain of serendipitous happenings at the culmination of seven years of soul searching and asking God to help me figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Business ownership may not be a seven-foot warrior with a massive spear (although it sometimes feels like it) but I’m so grateful to be where I’m standing right now, and I know that God is standing right next to me. So it’s cool.
What are the Goliaths I am facing in my life? Where is God in the mix?