We are reaching the end of our First Steps mini-series. Last time we dug a little deeper into the rhythm of ‘Wonder’. This week we are looping back around to Submission – the rhythm that runs like a heartbeat through the unforced rhythms of grace found when we walk in step with Jesus. We are looking at a story from the life of King David as we explore how submission and wonder go hand in hand!

In 1 Samuel 17 we find the well-known story of David and Goliath. Goliath is a giant – an actual giant!! Verse 4 tells us he is about 3 m tall! And he is a scary giant! He has been a warrior since his youth – it takes 4 whole verses to describe how impressive and intimidating he is. For 40 days he has been taunting the people of Israel – challenging them to a dual – winner takes all. Unsurprisingly, no-one wants to stand up to the challenge – in verse 11 we read that they are ‘dismayed and terrified’ … when in steps David.

The runt of the litter, David isn’t even part of the army – he is just a lowly shepherd boy. He is simply running errands, delivering a care package to his older brothers and checking in on them for his father. Yet, when David hears the way that Goliath is taunting his people with utter contempt for the God of Israel he speaks up. Clearly, when king Saul hears him he reminds David that he is just a young man – totally unqualified to take on this fierce, colossal giant! But David is quick to reply, indignant that Goliath has defied the armies of the Living God:

‘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.’

David’s trust in God is unwavering and absolute, despite the seemingly impossible and very scary task at hand.

Now clearly David is not really the obvious choice for this task. In the many prayers offered up by the Israelite army, I am sure they were probably asking for God to send lightning bolts from heaven and take Goliath out, or to send them an even bigger giant to help them take on the might of Goliath. Yet the Wonder of the Living and Mighty God of Israel was seen through this young shepherd boy. And David is clear – the battle is not his, it’s the Lords. He will not win through his own strength but through submitting to the strength and power of the Lord.

For me, part of submission, this word that we have already said can feel uncomfortable, unclear or unknown in our culture today, is simply about making space for the Wonder of God. In a culture that prizes independence, high capacity, accomplishment and self-sufficiency, we are often encouraged to ‘seize the bull by the horns’ when challenges come our way – to jump in and tackle adversity in our own strength or on our own merit.

I have found that there are a few problems with this approach.

Firstly, what happens when the challenge that we face is a giant?? The Israelite army was paralysed with fear in the face of their giant – it just seemed too big a problem for them to tackle. It seemed they had met their match … or worse. Their capacity and strength just wasn’t enough – they needed a miracle.

The Message translation of Matthew 5:3 says,

‘You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.’

Like David, we worship a God who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 4:20). When we submit to the power of God in our lives we make space for more of His power, more of His wonder and more of His grace.

But submission is a rhythm for everyday – walking in step with Jesus, every step of every day – not just the difficult ones. Even when the challenge seems manageable, we miss the wonder of God when we rush in alone.

A little later in the story, in 1 Samuel 18:7, we see the difference that a rhythm of Submission has made to David’s life as the people sing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” David’s leadership is fuelled by the power of God in every battle he encounters as he walks a daily rhythm of submission and makes space for the Wonder of God in his life and the difference that that makes is clearly seen.

It’s a truth that Saul never quite seems to grasp. Even in the battle against Goliath when it looks like he has to listened to David and is taking a risk and trusting the possibility that God can work through this young shepherd boy, he is still hedging his bets! David clearly doesn’t have the strength needed or the battle experience to stand up to Goliath and Saul tries to make up for that by clothing David in his finest tunic and armour. But David knows he doesn’t have to bring anything to the table other than himself and his trust in a God who is able to do immeasurably more than he could ask or imagine.

And God uses a little boy with a simple catapult to bring down a giant. As David submits to God, God’s power is made perfect in His weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

I enjoy being competent – I get a real kick out of it! But on my journey into building a rhythm of submission in my life each day, I have had to recognise that when I press in and try to fill the gap in my own strength, I do not leave space for the miraculous wonder of God.

The bible is littered with stories of the miraculous wonder of God as time and time again He brings a seemingly inadequate response to a significant need.

He brings a shepherd boy to fight a giant warrior… He brings a young unmarried girl from a nowhere place to give birth to His only Son and to nurture and care for the King of Kings… He brings a young boy with a picnic to feed a crowd that probably numbered about 15000 people in total.

I love the story of the feeding of the 5,000 – it’s such a brilliant example of Wonder and Submission! God could have answered the prayers of the disciples by prompting a local catering company to turn up and feed the hungry hordes. But instead, He brings a little boy with his picnic who trusts that if he submits and simply brings who he, his father God can do the rest! And in that, God is daring the disciples to trust in His immeasurable greatness – not to try and fix the problem themselves but to submit – to take a step back and make space for the Wonder of God.

What does it look like for us to submit to the Wonder of God – to take a step back and make space for the power of God to be our strength in our weakness? The Message translation of 1 Cor 12:7-10 reminds me:

My grace is enough, it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. ..Now I take limitations in stride and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size – abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so, the weaker I get, the stronger I am !

Are there areas of my life that I am holding tightly to? A problem I am trying to fix? A battle I am trying to win? A success I am trying to achieve?

Ask God to draw your attention to the areas of your life that you are holding tightly to – the situations that you are trying to tackle in your own strength.

You might like to hold your fist closed as you pray and ask God to reveal to you what it is grasping…

… Now open your hand and invite Jesus into those areas of your life, submitting to His grace and making space for His Wonder.