One of my favourite stories in the Bible is the one about David and Goliath, recorded in 1 Samuel 17. I’m sure every Christian who went through Sunday School has heard it. If not, I will encourage you to set aside 5 minutes to read the whole passage later today. It tells the riveting story of how God delivered his people from the oppression of the Philistines through the courage of a young shepherd boy.

As we begin a New Year and think about goals and resolutions, I believe the story of David in 1 Samuel 17 holds great wisdom and instruction for every Christian. In the story, David never set out to be the hero or deliverer of God’s people. He was sent by his father to deliver food to his brothers who were on the frontline of the battle and bring back word on how they were doing. The brothers were the ones trained for war, who were meant to change the world, so to speak. Yet, it was David who changed the Israelites’ world through God’s power.

When he got to the battlefield, he learnt of this scary giant who was sending shivers down the spine of Israel’s army, from the king to the least of the soldiers. David could not believe how anyone could defy the armies of the living God and not be replied. In his view, Goliath was no match for the Host of Heaven’s army. So, he offered to fight the scary giant one–on–one. David was not even in the reserve army and had never been trained for war. He was but a shepherd boy. You could therefore understand why King Saul was astonished and concerned when he was told a boy had stepped up to accept the challenge of Goliath for a duel. It is David’s response to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:34-37 that I want you to reflect on as you enter the New Year.

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’”

It was a fact that David had never been formally trained for battle, yet as he described the experiences of his mundane life, no one could challenge the fact that this was a youth who had been prepared behind the scenes for a time like this. Fighting bears and lions is usually not a sport for shepherd boys watching over their father’s sheep. There was no audience to applaud his bravery as he fought off these beasts. For him, it was just business as usual as he took the sheep for grazing every day; there was nothing spectacular about it. Little did he know his daily acts of faithfulness would one day serve as a credential for fighting the greatest enemy of his nation. All he did was to be faithful daily to his calling as a shepherd boy, and that is what changed the world.

Like David, we all have different callings. As an individual, I have a calling as a Christian, a husband, a father, a son, a pastor, an employee and a friend. There might be more, but I will limit it to these for illustration purposes. For each of these callings, there is a certain measure of faithfulness God requires of me. Faithfulness as a Christian will mean living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and leveraging all the means of grace (Scriptures, Prayer, Fellowship, etc.) he has graciously provided to grow into his likeness. 

As a husband, faithfulness means to “love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” As a father, my calling is “not to provoke my children to anger, but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” As a son, I’m called to honour my parents in the way I care for them. As a pastor, my calling is to “pay careful attention to myself and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made me an overseer, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” As an employee, faithfulness requires me to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from it is from the Lord I will receive the inheritance as my reward.” As a friend, my calling is to be that iron that sharpens another iron, just as a man sharpens another.

There is nothing spectacular about all the things I have described. They seem mundane, and no audience will stand to applaud as we fulfill these callings. Sometimes we will even face opposition, both from within and without. And one thing is sure; you wouldn’t think you are changing the world when you do these mundane tasks. For instance, as you gather your children daily for family worship as a father, you wouldn’t think you’re changing the world, but God can use that act of daily faithfulness to bring your children to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And I can say for a fact, no earthly accomplishment can compare with the joy of seeing your child come to faith. It is the same with each of the callings we have received from the Lord.

As you begin 2023, I have no doubt there are many goals and objectives you would like to accomplish. I’m sure all of us will make a few resolutions and trust God to help us achieve them. However, like David, I believe we only need one resolution, to resolve by God’s grace to be faithful on a daily basis in whatever calling we have received from him.

Happy New Year! 

Ephesians 4:11-13, Ephesians 5:25-28, Ephesians 6:4,  Ephesians 6:2,  Acts 20:28, Colossians 3:23-24,  Proverbs 27:17.