Poor poor Jack…all he wanted to do was save his family and perhaps impress the princess. But as chance and destiny would have it, a handful of beans and the right amount of rain catapulted Jack from a keeper of kernels to a slayer of giants.
Oops, I should have given you a spoiler alert. Well now that I’ve spilled the beans, you should know that in the much anticipated Jack the Giant Slayer, Jack surprisingly ends up slaying giants.
But before all that transpires, you’ll be treated to 190 million dollars of CGI adventure that puts a new spin on one our all time favorite old tales. Think movie mash up of The Smurfs, The Princess Bride, and The Lord of the Rings with a little Shrek thrown in, and you get the picture.
And surprisingly, the only named giants are Fee, Fie, Foe and Fum…go figure.
Odds are that if you go see Jack you will forget most of the film by the time you go to bed that night, but what will remain is the compelling intrigue of being a giant slayer. Beyond the “once upon a time” is the reality that we all have gargantuan two-headed, people-eating monsters that stomp all over our hopes and dreams. We’d love to face and defeat them, but more often than not, we cower away in the corner and tremble our lives away.
Perhaps stories like Jack’s can inspire us, but I’m personally more motivated to charge my titanic troubles when I know that someone in the real world was victorious.
And that someone was David.
Unlike our fairy tale teenager Jack, David was a real life, flesh and bone adolescent who faced up to a giant bigger and badder than any we will face. There was no beanstalk or imaginary kingdom in the clouds in this event, but there was a nine foot tall gargantuan monstrosity named Goliath who mocked the God of Angel Armies.
Yet instead of sending His winged warriors to dispense with the behemoth blasphemer, God sent the boy who had the heart of a lion. Picture this scene as it transpired in all its glory:
David took his walking stick in his hand and went to find five smooth stones from the stream. He put the five stones in his shepherd’s bag and held his sling in his hand. Then he went out to meet the Philistine.
The Philistine slowly walked closer and closer to David. Goliath’s helper walked in front of him, carrying a large shield.Goliath looked at David with disgust. He saw that David was only a handsome, healthyboy.
Goliath said to David, “What is that stick for? Did you come to chase me away like a dog?” Then Goliath used the names of his gods to say curses against David. He said to David, “Come here, and I’ll feed your body to the birds and wild animals.”
David said to the Philistine, “You come to me using sword, spear, and javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the armies of Israel. You have said bad things about him.
Today the Lord will let me defeat you. I will kill you. I will cut off your head and feed your body to the birds and wild animals. And we will do the same thing to all the other Philistines too. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel. All the people gathered here will know that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and he will help us defeat all of you.”
Goliath the Philistine started to attack David. He slowly walked closer and closer toward David, but David ran out to meet Goliath.
David took out a stone from his bag. He put it in his sling and swung the sling. The stone flew from the sling and hit Goliath right between the eyes. The stone sank deep into his head, and Goliath fell to the ground—face down (1 Samuel 17:40-49).
And this is a true story that you should definitely not forget by the time you go to bed tonight.
The reality is that you and I also face some seemingly invincible giants that taunt us every waking moment and keep us awake at night. Remember that they are only as powerful as we allow them to be.
To the Hebrew army, Goliath would crush them like ants…To David, Goliath was the ant compared with the mighty power of the God who spoke the universe into existence
David minimized his focus on the giant and maximized his vision of God – and the same is still true for us, no matter what you are facing in your life. Perhaps you have Godzilla-sized issues that cripple your confidence? Or maybe the burden for souls that comes with living for THE Cause of Christ looms over your life like a nine foot giant?
Whatever the case, remember that you can defeat these giants by lifting your eyes to heaven and resting on the promise that “the battle belongs to the Lord.”
If you focus on giants – you will stumble.
If focus on God – your giants will tumble.
Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action
Take a few minutes to think about the giants in your life. Do you believe that you can defeat them with the help of the Lord? One of the best ways to reach your friends for Christ is to let them see how He gives you the strength to fight your battles and find victory even in your trials.
Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause
Pray: Father, the battle truly belongs to You, and we believe that just like David, You give us the strength to defeat the giants in our lives. Help us to look past our problems and fix our eyes on You as we go to battle this week.
Read: Luke 1:37. “For no word from God will ever fail.”
Get: Firing Jesus. Youth pastor JC Davidson took on the role of giant slayer at Spring Valley Church. His unorthodox approach raised more than a few eyebrows and stirred up controversy. Pick up a copy of Firing Jesus and take an intriguing imaginary journey to explore how Jesus might lead as a youth pastor in the 21st Century.
Youth Leader’s Discussion Questions:
Big Idea:
We all have giants in our lives, but like David, we can rely on our Almighty God to give us the strength and power to defeat them and show the world that we serve a living God!
Key Scripture:
1 Samuel 17:40-49
ALT-ernative Questions:
- What giants are you facing today?
- What gave David his amazing courage to face Goliath? Do you have that kind of courage?
- What kind of giants does being a part of THE Cause bring into our lives?
- What other ways could you apply this Soul Fuel to THE Cause?
