What do you call an army that never goes into battle? That is the question I uncovered in reading I Samuel 17 the other day. We are looking at the life of David on Sunday nights. Last night our topic was on that epic confrontation between David and Goliath. I was struck by a statement prior to that moment concerning the armies of Israel. I Samuel 17:20 describes those armies doing all the things to be ready for battle. They even offer up a war cry. However, it never says they ever went to deal with the enemy.

Can you imagine all the time they spent in strategy sessions? Perhaps they studied the enemy in depth seeing as Goliath was hard to miss. I am sure they spent many hours polishing their shields and sharpening their spears. Could it be they organized into neat lines in preparation for conflict? It says they even gave the war cry. I have no doubt after days of rehearsal it was in excellent harmony. The problem is they never went into battle.

I cannot help but see a portrait of how the church operates. We know how to organize into strategy groups. We sing songs that remind us of how big God is and how we are to enter into battle. We talk about how many are in the army more than we enter into the conflict with the enemy. We do more to keep the troops content than confront the ills of those ensnared by Satan. Too often, we compare stories of being prepared not being engaged in living our lives on the firing line.

All it took was one young shepherd named David to take down the giant. He didn't look the part of a mighty warrior on the outside. God knew David's heart was tuned to His. So this young shepherd used what he knew to slay God's foe. It just takes one person in tune with God to take up the cause of Christ to make a difference. Will we polish our shields or will we take the risk to enter the conflict?

Bro. Trey