Fleeing from Turkeys

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. My name is Mike Whitmer and I titled our reading, Fleeing from Turkeys. Two wild turkeys stood in the country lane ahead. How close could I get, I wondered. I slowed my jog to a walk, then stopped.

It worked. The turkeys walked toward me and kept coming. In seconds, their heads were bobbing at my waist. Then behind me.

How sharp were those beaks? I ran away. They waddled after me before giving up the chase. How quickly the tables had turned. The hunted had become the hunter when the turkeys seized the initiative. Foolishly, I had wondered if they were too dumb to be scared. I wasn't about to be carelessly wounded by a bird, so I fled.

From turkeys. David didn't seem dangerous, so Goliath taunted him to come near. Come here, he said in 1 Samuel 17, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals. David flipped the script when he seized the initiative. He ran toward Goliath, not because he was foolish, but because he had confidence in God.

He shouted, this very day, the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. Goliath was puzzled by this aggressive boy. What's going on, he must have thought. Then it hit him.

Right between the eyes. It's natural for small animals to run from people, and shepherds to avoid giants. It's natural for us to hide from our problems.

Why settle for natural? Is there a God in Israel? Then in His power, run toward the fight. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 Samuel 17, verse 32, and verses 40-50. David said to Saul, Let no one lose heart on account of this philistine. Your servant will go and fight him. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag, and with his sling in his hand, approached the philistine. Meanwhile, the philistine, with his shield-bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.

He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? And the philistine cursed David by his gods.

Come here, he said, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals. David said to the philistine, You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you, in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give all of you into our hands. As the philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the philistine with a sling and a stone.

Without a sword in his hand, he struck down the philistine and killed him. Let's pray. Father, whenever we're afraid, remind us that your Spirit is in us. Help us run forward in your strength. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.