Tonight’s family service took the theme ‘Bigger Is Better’ and looked at the story of David and Goliath (1 Sam 17). The children in Sunday School have been studying this story for some weeks and we enjoyed looking at their pictures:

They have also worked hard at making their own Goliath and sang a song about the story which indicated how he was toppled by a stone from David’s sling:

Stephen spoke on this subject too, reminding us of the challenges posed by a 9 foot Goliath:

Normally, the phrase ‘bigger is better’ implies that size and might win the day, and certainly the Israelites were terrified by this Philistine who was openly defiant towards them. He was big, strong and scary! Little wonder that when the Israelites saw him, they all ran from him in great fear. (1 Sam 17:24)

David, too young to be in the army, was outraged by the Philistine’s defiance, however. (1 Sam 17:26) He had confidence in God’s ability to defeat any enemy (1 Sam 17:37) and ultimately won the victory not because he was bigger than Goliath, but because of his confidence and trust in God. Saul wanted David to be someone other than who he was; he wanted to make him bigger and better by making him wear his armour (1 Sam 17:38-39), but David’s victory against the odds reminds us that appearances can be deceptive and spiritual victories are won when we see life with spiritual eyes. In the story, the most powerful one did not actually win, but David – a friend of God who is the all-powerful one – did.

We too often feel weak and inadequate, facing problems that are giants in our eyes. Jesus prayed for our protection (John 17:15) and reminds us that the close relationship we have with Him is the thing that will equip us (John 17:21). David succeeded, just as he was. God is able to take our weaknesses and inadequacies and make us overcomers with Him. All He needs is our willingness.

Mark spoke this morning from Psalm 139, a psalm of David which looks at how God knows us better than we know ourselves. We often find it hard to predict how we will react in certain situations, but God knows our thoughts before we speak and He knows all our actions before they happen. He has searched us and knows us – which can be reassuring when we think about the positive things in our lives, but can be challenging when we think of all our many failings. To be known by God is humbling; He made us and comprehends our paths (‘winnowing’ them so that all the rubbish is sifted from our lives.)

God protects us from dangers both seen and unseen and His presence is always with us – behind us, before us and all around us. His hands underpin us, adding stability to our lives when we feel life is crashing down around us. God gives us both physical and spiritual guidance, shedding light on our paths. We are skilfully made by a master embroiderer – no wonder David feels that the thoughts God has for him are too much for him to comprehend!

God knew what we would become even before He made us; we are special, chosen and blessed by Him. David goes on to pray against those who hate widkedness and concludes the psalm by praying for God to search him, know him, test him, know his anxious thoughts, see if there is any offensive or wicked way in him and lead him in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23-24) This is a challenging prayer, for we have to be willing to take heed of God’s answers and verdicts and act on what He says. This psalm reminds us that we are blessed and chosen by God and fully known and accepted by Him, which should result in both humility and thankfulness on our part.

There are some special meetings happening in October. The ‘Churches Together’ monthly prayer meeting will be on Tuesday 9th October at 10.30 a.m. at GPCC. This is an opportunity to pray with Christians from local churches about our lives, our communities and the wider world. Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life and if you are free on Tuesday, we invite you to join with us to pray for God’s will to be done and His kingdom to come in our local area. So often, we feel too busy to pray, but as one leader commented, we are too busy NOT to pray. Prayer has to be the source of our energy, as we wait on God and seek His face for revival, blessing and favour.

On Sunday 21st and 28th October we will be hosting a Christian bookstall from CLC Bookshop in Sheffield. This is an opportunity to buy Christmas cards, diaries, books and gifts without having to travel to Sheffield!

On Wednesday 31st October we will be hosting a ‘Churches Together’ family fun day, when we will be holding a ‘Light Party’ from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This is an opportunity to explore the fact that Jesus is the Light of the world and calls us to be light, carrying ‘the light-giving message into the night’ (Phil 2:15, The Message). There will be craft activities, games and free refreshments. We will be looking at heroes of the faith as well, and if you would like to tell us about your heroes (from the Bible, from history or from modern day life), we would love to hear about them and include them in our ‘heroes’ labyrinth’ on that day.

Please pray for these opportunities for outreach as well as for our regular outreach to children on Monday nights, on Friday mornings and for the coffee morning on Saturday mornings as we seek to be salt and light in our community all the time. There are opportunities for other groups to start using the building shortly, including a befriending social club which looks at tackling isolation and loneliness among the over 65s and a Movement and Music class for under 5s. Pray for these groups too.

Stephen spoke from Ps 37:1-7 tonight, a psalm which (like Ps 73) deals with the subject of the frustrations and anxiety we feel when we look around us and see the godless prospering. The psalmist repeatedly commands us not to fret (Ps 37:1, 7, 8), since it leads to evil, to an erosion of the path on which we walk. So often, we have a short-term perspective of prosperity, looking only at the material blessings; we need to understand that the godless and wicked will not prosper long-term (like the grass, they will wither away) and that God is able to give us our heart’s desires as we take delight in Him.

Jer 29:11 reminds us that God has good plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. The antidote to fretting is to trust God and do good; to commit our ways to Him and trust that He will sort everything out for us in the long term. An essential part of Christian maturity is to learn to be still before the Lord and to wait patiently for Him. That is not easy for us, but if we are not careful, fretting leads to something akin to coastal erosion: our security and stability in God is gradually eaten away through anxiety, stress, envy and anger. Only as we trust in God and wait for HIs timing will we be able to take hold of the delights God has for each one of us.