a time to remember: What David and Goliath Can Teach Us About Faith, Community, and Trusting God

From Princeton idaho to Everyday Life: A Time to Remember

Some of us just spent five days at Pig Out, Play and Praise in Princeton, Idaho.

Five days of food, fun, fellowship, worship, laughter, and an in-depth look at one of the most familiar stories in the Bible: David and Goliath.

Friends came from all over the country. Some traveled a long way to be there. There were

meals that turned into conversations, conversations that turned into encouragement, plenty of laughter, and those quieter moments when the joking stopped and the room became still because God was speaking directly to someone's heart.

And through all of it, one theme kept rising to the surface.

God is able.

That is one of the lessons from David and Goliath I don't want to leave sitting in Princeton.

Some of you were there. Some of you wanted to be but couldn't. Distance. Work. Health. Money. Family. Timing. Life happens.

And if you couldn't make it, I don't want you to feel like you somehow missed what God was doing. God has never limited His lessons to the people who could make the trip.

The gathering was a gift, but it was never the destination. It was a reminder.

A chance to pause, worship, learn, laugh, eat, talk, pray, and encourage one another.

Then we go home.

And that's where things get interesting. Because eventually the chairs get stacked. The last hug happens. Cars pull out of the parking lot. We return to our homes, our jobs, our families, our responsibilities, and our very ordinary Tuesdays.

What happens then?

We live it. That's why this is a time to remember

.

Not simply to remember five days in Idaho, but to remember what God taught us and carry those lessons into everyday life.

This Is How God Has Always Worked

Israel did not live at the festival. They went to the festival. But many people throughout Israel's history would not have been able to attend every gathering. Life happened then too.

Yet God repeatedly told His people to remember. He built a rhythm into their worship:

Gather when you can. Remember always. Feast in His goodness. Then live what you remembered in ordinary days.

Passover said, We were slaves. God rescued us. Do not forget.

Then they went home with that story still in their mouths.

The Feast of Tabernacles sent families into temporary shelters to remember how God had kept His people through the wilderness. Then the booths came down. The memory was supposed

to travel.

Pentecost gathered people from every direction. The Holy Spirit came. Then those people scattered back into their homes, jobs, families, and neighborhoods. And the gospel went with them. There is something important in that pattern.

We don't stay in one place. God calls us to remember, but He also calls us to move forward.

Sometimes we want to stay on the mountaintop because the mountaintop feels safe. We want to hold onto the good feeling, the encouragement, the worship, the fellowship.

But eventually Jesus says, in effect, Okay. Now what are you going to do with what I just showed you?

Pig Out, Play and Praise is part of that rhythm. A set-apart time for those who could come.

A reminder for all of us. Because the point isn't to stay on the mountain.

The point is to live changed when we get back in the valley.

If you were not in Princeton, you are not behind. You're on the same assignment.

Lessons from David and Goliath: Seeing Our Giants Through Faith

You did not have to sit around a campfire in Princeton to need 1 Samuel 17.

The Israelites had a giant standing in front of them. And they were terrified.

Saul and the army measured Goliath by his size, armor, reputation, and threats. For forty days, the giant talked, and Israel hid.

They had the covenant.

They had the history.

They had seen God work before.

And yet they allowed a loud enemy to define the battlefield. Then David showed up.

David measured Goliath by God. He asked a completely different question.

Not, “How big is he?”

But:

“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”1 Samuel 17:26

David remembered.

He remembered the lion.

He remembered the bear.

He remembered God's faithfulness.

And he said:

“The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”1 Samuel 17:37

That really stood out to me. David didn't suddenly become brave because Goliath got smaller.

David remembered that God was bigger.

And I have to admit, that's something I need reminding of too. It's remarkably easy to look at the giant first.

I can analyze it. Think about all the possible outcomes. Imagine what might happen. Think about what could go wrong.

Basically, I can build an entire mental spreadsheet about the problem before I ever stop and ask: “Wait a minute. How big is my God?” That one hit me.

Because sometimes the giant isn't actually getting bigger. I'm just spending too much time staring at it. That's where faith comes in.

Faith doesn't mean pretending the giant isn't there. What faith does mean is to remember who God is while you're looking at it.

And that is one of the biggest lessons from David and Goliath.

God is able.

• Your giant may be fear.

• A difficult diagnosis.

• A fractured relationship.

• A financial burden.

• A habit you can't seem to break.

• A child you're deeply concerned about

• A calling you've been putting off

.

• A situation you can't control.

The circumstances may be very real. But the question remains:

Will you look at the giant through the eyes of the army, or through the eyes of David?

David said:

“The battle is the Lord's.”1 Samuel 17:47

That lesson does not require a name tag from Idaho.

Real Faith Has Feet

Here's where I think we can sometimes get stuck.

We hear a great message.

We feel encouraged.

We worship.

We cry.

We laugh.

We make a commitment.

And then we go home.

But real faith has feet, not just believing in the valley, but walking into it.

David didn't stand in the valley giving a motivational speech about how God was able.

He moved.

He picked up five smooth stones.

He walked toward the giant.

He acted on what he believed.

David trusted God, but his trust didn't

make him passive and neither should ours.

There comes a point when remembering has to become obedience. Faith has to move.

Maybe your next step is uncomfortable.

Maybe it is a conversation you've been avoiding.

Maybe you need to apologize.

Maybe you need to forgive.

Maybe you need to ask for help.

Maybe you need to join a Christian community instead of continuing to say you're too busy.

Maybe you need to stop waiting for the perfect circumstances and take the small step God has already put in front of you.

Sometimes we want God to give us the entire map. He gives us the next step.

And then He asks us to take it.

Obedience Is Often Inconvenient

I think we sometimes imagine obedience as something dramatic.

A giant moment.

A giant calling.

A giant act of faith.

But faithful people often do small things.

David was willing to deliver food. He wasn't initially marching onto the battlefield with a sword and a title. He was taking supplies to his brothers.

That ordinary assignment put him in the valley where he heard Goliath.

Sometimes obedience looks remarkably unglamorous.

• Make the phone call.

• Show up.

• Take the meal.

• Pray for the person.

• Send the text.

• Tell the truth.

• Apologize first.

• Get up and go.

• Open your Bible.

• Serve when nobody notices

.

• Encourage someone who is discouraged.

• Sit beside someone who is hurting.

• Give generously.

• Do the next right thing.

None of those things may make a highlight reel. But faithful people do small things.

And God has a long history of doing significant things through people who were simply faithful with what was in front of them.

Obedience is often inconvenient, causing us to take steps that we would rather not. It may interrupt our plans. It may cost us time. It may require us to humble ourselves. It may mean doing something when we don't feel like it.

But faith isn't measured by how inspired we feel. Sometimes faith looks like putting one foot in front of the other when we'd really rather stay where we are.

Who Will You Walk With?

God never meant for us to do Jesus alone. That is true in a field full of friends. And it is just as true in a quiet kitchen.

Jesus did not send His people out as lone rangers. He sent them two by two.

The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

They shared meals.

They shared needs.

They shared life.

Christian community isn't a prize for people who can travel. Community is part of how Jesus designed the journey.

One of my favorite things about gatherings like Princeton is that the important conversations don't always happen during the teaching.

Sometimes they happen sitting around a table with food in front of you.

Sometimes they happen while you're walking somewhere.

Sometimes someone says something almost in passing, and somehow that sentence follows you home.

That's one of the beautiful things about Christian fellowship.

God can use another person's story, encouragement, honesty, or even a simple conversation to remind us of something we've forgotten.

Giants get louder when we isolate. Courage spreads when we stand together.

But here's a question worth taking home:

Who will you walk with?

Who knows what giant you're facing?

Who can tell you the truth when fear starts talking?

Who will pray with you?

Who will celebrate when you take a step forward?

Who will notice when you start drifting?

And perhaps just as importantly: Whose person are you going to be? Who needs you to walk beside them?

Community isn't simply about finding people who will encourage us.

It's about becoming people who encourage others.

When the Gathering Ends, Faith Keeps Going

If you were there, eventually the chairs get stacked. The last hug happens. The parking lot empties. The drive home is quiet. And the glow fades a little.

That doesn't mean the gathering failed. It means the gathering did its job.

We were never meant to live permanently at the gathering.

Eventually somebody has to go back to work.

Someone has to answer the difficult text.

Someone has to deal with the laundry.

Someone has to have the hard conversation.

Someone has to sit with uncertainty.

Someone has to walk into Tuesday.

And that is where faith gets real.

The giants don't wait until you feel spiritual. They are often standing in the valley called Tuesday!

If you were not there, you may feel like you missed the fire. Don't build a faith that depends on an event you couldn't attend.

You can still remember.

You can still learn.

You can still obey.

You can still move forward.

And you can still find Christian community right where you are.

Israel was warned not because they never gathered, but because they gathered and then forgot.

Again and again, Scripture warns God's people:

Do not forget the Lord.

Memory is obedience, not a souvenir.

How Jesus Calls Us to Love One Another

When we're together, love looks like presence. Real presence.

Eating.

Talking.

Praying.

Helping.

Listening longer than is convenient.

When we're far apart, or when we never made it into the same field, it looks like the same heart with different tools.

• A text that isn't generic.

• A phone call that isn't rushed.

• A prayer that names a real person and a real giant.

• A note that says:

“I still see you. God is still able. We are still in this.”

Distance does not cancel covenant. Neither does a missed registration.

Jesus said:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”John 13:34–35

Paul gave us the daily version:

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”Galatians 6:2

And:

“Encourage one another and build each other up.”1 Thessalonians 5:11

Sometimes carrying a burden looks like helping someone face a giant they cannot stare down alone.

That work happens at gatherings. It also happens on phones, in Journey Groups or Me and Three groups, in church parking lots, around kitchen tables, and across miles.

The location changes. The calling doesn't.

We Don't Stay in One Place

One of the things I keep coming back to is that following Jesus means moving forward.

Not necessarily moving physically. Not always making some giant life change.

But moving forward spiritually.

Learning. Growing. Obeying. Serving. Forgiving. Trusting God a little more than we did yesterday.

Sometimes we want to camp right where we are because moving forward means uncertainty.

But faith doesn't always come with a five-year plan. Sometimes it comes with today's step.

David didn't know everything that would happen after he walked toward Goliath. He simply knew what God had already shown him.

And he moved.That's enough for many of us too.

We don't have to know everything. We just need to ask:

What is the next faithful step? Then take it.

What Do We Do With What We Learned?

Whether you sat under the Idaho sky last week or never left your hometown, here are some things worth carrying home.

• Remember who God is.

When the giant gets loud, remember God's faithfulness before you measure the size of the problem.

• Trust God and move forward.

Faith isn't standing still forever waiting to feel ready. Real faith has feet.

• Take the next obedient step.

It may be inconvenient.

It may be small.

It may not feel particularly spiritual.

Do it anyway.

• Be faithful with small things.

Faithful people do small things, and God can use those small acts of obedience in ways we may never see.

• Don't try to follow Jesus alone.

Find Christian community. Ask, “Who will I walk with?”

And then become someone who will walk with another person.

• Love one another.

Attendance isn't the evidence. Love is.

• Remember on purpose.

Write it down. Tell someone. Pray the names out loud.

Talk about what God has done. Memory that isn't practiced fades.

• Help someone else fight.

Your courage may be the stone they need.

And their presence may be the courage you need.

Stay Connected on Purpose

Connection doesn't happen by accident.

The enemy of community isn't always distance.

Sometimes it's drift. And giants love drift. So send the first message. Stay in, or join, a Journey Group.

A weekly rhythm can do more for us than an annual memory. Put names and their giants on your prayer list. Share more than highlights.

Look around your own town. Princeton is not the only field God cares about.

Keep serving with meals, quiet presence, encouragement, and generosity.

And don't wait until you feel ready.

Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is simply take the next small step.

When fear starts talking like Goliath, answer like David! Because fear may still shout but faith still answers.

And sometimes answer out loud. Especially when you have brothers and sisters around you who will say it back:

God is able.

A Taste of What Is Coming

For those who were there, those five days were loud, messy, full, funny, meaningful, and holy.

For those who weren't, the same Kingdom is still breaking into ordinary time wherever Jesus' people love each other and refuse to face giants alone.

I came home from Princeton reminded of something I don't want to forget.

I don't want the things God teaches me in a special gathering to stay there.

I don't want to remember David and Goliath only because we spent five days talking about them.

I want to remember the lesson when the next giant shows up in my ordinary life.

I want to remember what God has already done.

I want to remember the people who encouraged me.

I want to remember that fear doesn't get to tell me how big my God is.

I want to keep moving forward. And I want my faith to have feet. Because one day the distances collapse. One day the goodbyes stop. One day the giants are gone for good. One day the table is set, and no one is missing because they couldn't travel.

Until then, gatherings are a preview, not a substitute, for the life we are called to live between them.

• Remember God's love that pulled us into this family.

• Remember that fierce friendship is possible because Jesus made it possible.

• Remember David's eyes in a valley full of fear.

• Remember that faithful people do small things.

• Remember that obedience may be inconvenient.

• Remember that we are not meant to walk this road, or fight these giants, alone.

• And remember the lesson that kept rising to the surface in Princeton: God is able.

That was true in Princeton. It is true in your living room. It is true at your kitchen table. It is true in your in your workplace. It is true in the middle of the phone call you don't want to make. It is true when you're staring at the giant and wondering what you're supposed to do next.

God is able.

So remember: Trust God. Take the next step. Walk with someone. And live like it.

Study & Discussion Questions

Whether you attended Pig Out, Play and Praise or not, take some time to think about these questions:

1. What is one lesson from David and Goliath that God is asking you to remember right now?

   
   

2. Where have you been measuring a giant by its size and noise instead of by the God who is able?

   
   

3. What would it look like for your faith to have feet this week? What is one step you need to take?

   
   

4. Is there an area where obedience is inconvenient for you right now? What might God be asking you to do?

   
   

5. What small thing can you faithfully do this week that may seem insignificant but could encourage or help someone else?

   
   

6. Who will you walk with? Who is someone you can invite into your everyday faith journey?

   
   

7. Read 1 Samuel 17:45–47 and John 13:34–35. How do faith, trusting God, and loving one another help us face our giants?

   
   

8. What has God done in your past that you need to remember when facing something difficult today?

   
   

9. What is one practical way you can stay connected to Christian community this week?

   
   

If you want this kind of community year-round, look into Journey Groups at YourJesusJourney.com.

The table isn't set only once a year. The gathering isn't the whole journey.

The valley is where the faith we talk about gets used.

And wherever you are standing today, remember:

God is able.

Learn more about our exciting out-of-the-box ministry here

Meet the author and Her Partner in Faith:

Tammy and Bruce have been married for 39 years, navigating life as best friends and partners in faith. Their days are a beautiful mix of service and creativity: Tammy serves her community as an active EMT when she isn't on the road, while Bruce, a retired Law Enforcement officer, is the visionary artist behind God’s Country Art.

Between the adrenaline of emergency medicine and the peace of the open road, Tammy is a lifelong writer currently editing her debut Christian Fantasy novel, Beyond the Mirror’s Edge.

Together, they are devoted parents and grandparents who find God’s handiwork in everything—from a life-saving moment in the field to a quiet piece of hand-carved wood. Whether through fellowship with others online at Your Jesus Journey, or a campfire chat at a new campsite, they are committed to sharing the love of Christ one mile at a time.

You can see some of Bruce's handiwork at Godscountryart.com