What is your operating style when a “Goliath” sized problem develops? (87-1)

Most of our leadership days contain victories and challenges. We praise God for the victories but on most days these are not victories that cause us to celebrate in an extraordinary way. It is the same with our challenges. We pray continually and consistently that God will give us wisdom to handle the challenges and that the challenges will not consume us or the people on our team but these are not the challenges that put a knot in our stomach or that put us on our face before the Lord totally dependent on His power to change the situation. But, every once in a while, the Lord favors every leader with the opportunity for the great victory or the overwhelming challenge that will require complete faith in God and use of everything we have learned as a leader, and revelation from God that we have not learned. Read 1 Samuel 17:1-58.

During the days of the Judges and Saul’s reign, Israel and the Philistines constantly warred against each other. For the most part, following the time of Joshua, the Philistines had the upper hand militarily. Chapter 17 starts with the battle lines drawn between these forces again. As both sides prepared for the eventual battle, Goliath, a Philistine soldier with extraordinary size, strength and skill issues a challenge to Saul’s army to choose a representative to fight him and to let the outcome of the war depend on the outcome of their individual battle. Goliath’s size and personal confidence was so intimidating that not one Israelite soldier or officer took the challenge. Goliath was a problem that paralyzed every leader in the entire Israelite army.

David, the man Samuel had anointed as future king of Israel, had three brothers serving with Saul’s forces and when he brought food to the front for his brothers, he heard Goliath’s challenge defying Israel’s army and Israel’s God. When David heard the challenge, found out about the reward Saul was offering the man who fought and defeated Goliath, and heard the insults against the Hebrew God his response was different than every other leader in Israel’s army. This may give some insight into what God saw in David’s heart when He selected him as his leader. The following are just a few elements that separated David from other leaders:

• David did not dwell on the invincible problem as much as the tremendous opportunity. He had a different perspective about the problem.
• David didn’t see warfare like the other soldiers who lived with it every day. He put the battle in context of his history when, through God’s strength, he had killed dangerous animals that had attacked the sheep he was shepherding. He focused on God’s strength and the potential solutions rather than just the problem.
• David wasn’t stuck with the weapons of standard warfare i.e. swords, spears and armor. He decided to use proven weapons that God had given to him rather than handling this situation with conventional weapons everyone else felt compelled to use. David thought outside the box to solve the problem.
• David felt passionate about the cause because it affected the very core of his being and his relationship with God. He operated out of a deep belief system.
• David had an attitude of faith not fear. Faith allows action where fear causes paralysis.

What is your normal operating style when a “Goliath” sized problem develops in your leadership world? If you believe you may act like the majority of the other leaders in Israel’s army rather than David will you begin praying now that God will allow you to see the problem through His eyes as you face your next major leadership challenge? You will still have to put everything on the line just as David did when he stepped out away from the safety of the other soldiers but there is no chance for great victory or the great opportunity staying in the safe place.