The Gift That is David

And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people.
-- 2 Samuel 4:12

David, as a young boy, shocked the world. He did what many seasoned warriors in his time thought was impossible; he slew the giant named Goliath. His accomplishment was so astonishing, he became an instant hero. And why not? The giant, Goliath, was nine-foot high, sturdy and strong, battle-tested, heavily armored, and menacingly armed with a big sharp sword, a heavy javelin, and thick shield, whereas David was just a young shepherd; harmlessly good-looking, lanky, and armed only with a silly-looking sling, with no armor whatsoever.

Imagine yourself being on the battlefield on that suspense-filled moment. The towering Goliath, just stepped confidently out of a long wall of boisterous Philistine army, while David slowly sneaked between the ranks of the discouraged, and demoralized Israelite soldiers; for 40 days Goliath mocked their guts morning and night. As David came down to the valley of Ellah, a no-man’s land between the opposing camps, he slid his hand into his sheepskin bag to grab the stones that he picked up from a nearby stream. He then looked up, and saw the wide blue sky, so peaceful. In his heart, there was no doubt to which side his God favored. David then fixed his eyes to the huge, and fearsome figure looming ahead of him, and smiled wickedly, for he saw not an invincible giant, but a very huge target! Swinging his sling with all his might, but with the controlled rage of a violin virtuoso, David charged towards Goliath. The earth's ground beat like a drum as dust spewed into the air with every impact of his feet, while all the soldiers in the battlefield froze in anticipation of David's demise. Suddenly, the soldiers of Israel broke out into wild jubilation mixed with astonishment, as Goliath body fell to the ground with a thunderous thud! The silence of the Philistine army, shock with fear, and disbelief, was deafening. On that day, the Lord had given victory to David and the Israelites.

Many years later, David became king of Israel. One night, standing in the rooftop of his palace in Jerusalem, King David reflected on all the victories that God had given him, starting with Goliath. In spite of his fame and power, he knew in his heart that he was victorious, not because of himself, but because God favored him, God made him victorious not because of him, but for the sake of His oppressed people.

Now consider this. What if you fell down from the 2nd floor of your house, and break your neck when you were still a baby? What if you got hit by a truck as you cross the street going to your school? What if dengue visited you or cancer barged into your body when you were still growing up? What if you met a fatal car accident in your way home?

There are a hundred reasons under the sun why we should not be here or why we should not have the measure of success, no matter how small it seems, that we enjoy right now. But we are here. And at this very moment, God gives us the opportunity to choose … to choose to be a David, and be a blessing to the unblessed or to be a Goliath, a person huge in promise and potential, yet accomplished nothing. For in the yardstick of God, our accomplishment is not measured by the number of pesos, houses and cars we accumulated in our lifetime, but by the number of prayers, we became the answer!

PS: In God’s master plan for man, our core gifts and talents are not just for us to enjoy, but also as tools to help and care for others.