Vision and Fear 6
THIS WEEK, we shall continue our discussions on fear and how it impacts on our vision. There is a Biblical story that I am persuaded has a lot to offer us in understanding fear and how to overcome it. I am referring to the epic battle between David and Goliath. It is the gallant war of a lad not only against Goliath but again what he represents – fear.
Goliath presents himself as an unassailable challenge. His stature is awesome. He stands more nine feet tall. That is about double the height of an average human being. He is heavily armoured. His amour alone weighs about 60 Kg. Well, I wonder how many of my listeners weigh far more than that. Even with that, Goliath still wears bronze shin guards and carries a bronze sword. You think he is done until you see the huge spear that looks more like a fence rail. You estimate the tip of the spear to be 7Kg about the weight of your six-month old baby. While you are still awed by the enormous size of just one man and his amour, you see a lad holding tenaciously a huge shield in front of Goliath. All of a sudden, you no longer see a warrior but an impregnable wall. Your heart misses a couple of beats.
You take one quick look at yourself and another quick look at Goliath; I bet you want to look for the nearest exit. While your knees are knocking each other you see the Goliath step out of his troops pitched on a hill. You and your troops are on another hill and there is a valley in between. He speaks. His words boom like a mighty ocean.
“Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!"
A man? Certainly not me, you say. You take a look at the valley and imagine your bones and flesh scattered all over. Fear grips you. You will let this pass. You immediately turn into a philosopher. “He that walks away from a fight lives to fight another day.”
You are not alone: the entire army is in fear. The Bible records they were terrified and lost hope. The very reason of the existence of a Goliath is to terrify you and to make you lose hope. Now, look around you and picture your own Goliath. How do you stand before it? Are you terrified to the point of hopelessness? The time has come for you to free yourself from the tyranny of fear. The journey to your freedom starts today.
Goliath presents himself as an unassailable challenge. His stature is awesome. He stands more nine feet tall. That is about double the height of an average human being. He is heavily armoured. His amour alone weighs about 60 Kg. Well, I wonder how many of my listeners weigh far more than that. Even with that, Goliath still wears bronze shin guards and carries a bronze sword. You think he is done until you see the huge spear that looks more like a fence rail. You estimate the tip of the spear to be 7Kg about the weight of your six-month old baby. While you are still awed by the enormous size of just one man and his amour, you see a lad holding tenaciously a huge shield in front of Goliath. All of a sudden, you no longer see a warrior but an impregnable wall. Your heart misses a couple of beats.
You take one quick look at yourself and another quick look at Goliath; I bet you want to look for the nearest exit. While your knees are knocking each other you see the Goliath step out of his troops pitched on a hill. You and your troops are on another hill and there is a valley in between. He speaks. His words boom like a mighty ocean.
“Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!"
A man? Certainly not me, you say. You take a look at the valley and imagine your bones and flesh scattered all over. Fear grips you. You will let this pass. You immediately turn into a philosopher. “He that walks away from a fight lives to fight another day.”
You are not alone: the entire army is in fear. The Bible records they were terrified and lost hope. The very reason of the existence of a Goliath is to terrify you and to make you lose hope. Now, look around you and picture your own Goliath. How do you stand before it? Are you terrified to the point of hopelessness? The time has come for you to free yourself from the tyranny of fear. The journey to your freedom starts today.
posted by Abiodun Fijabi at 9:09 PM
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