Better to be a Warrior in a Garden that a Gardener in a War.
~ Sun Tzu
And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” … When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 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.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
~ David, in 1 Samuel 17
Oh beloved, it is true.
There will come times in our lives where we will need to enter into conflict with other people. And honestly, there is usually nothing wrong with this. As Graham Cooke has said, “When we feel tension, we assume that something is wrong. Yet, I have reason to believe that tension is really just telling us that something is happening.”
But, how we enter into the conflict is just as important as the outcome. Our mindset will determine the outcome in many ways.
If we are intent to enter a conflict while anxious and worrying before we even make contact, we are bound to make mistakes. We are bound to lose, or we are bound to hurt someone else without need.
However, if we go into a conflict, even an intense one, with a view towards a solution that includes true peace at the end, we can find that we can also have peace at the outset.
Can we see it?
This is where David was. David was at total peace with himself and with G_d. David knew the reputation of His Heavenly King, and also had no doubts about His Power. So, when it came time to face someone or something that was coming against David’s Source of peace, it did not bother David.
For David knew, and was actually convinced, that nothing could stop G_d. Nothing. And hopefully, the answer that David understood, is one that we can understand today!
So, are you facing a tough conflict in your life? It will happen! But, are you yet convinced that the One Who is your Peace, is already with you, and that He will take you through it?
Tonight is your night to start your conflicts, already at peace.
And it is through conflict that God induces the believer to seek and to grasp total triumph in Christ.
~Watchman Nee
