"Have you no faith?"

I Samuel 17:4-11 Mark 4:35-41

According to the Hebrew text Goliath was six cubits and a span. That measures out to be nine feet, nine inches. The Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament listed Goliath as four cubits and a span, a mere six feet, nine inches. Still a very large man. He was the fantasy of every basketball scout in the world. He was the Shaq of the Middle East. There was only one problem, he preferred fighting to basketball. Goliath was Billy the Kid, the professional gunslinger that everyone wanted to bring down. When people heard the name of Goliath they shuddered. He thought that things like deodorant and hair spray were for sissies. He was the last guy you wanted to meet in a dark alley. Goliath was a professional warrior, a big, mean fighting machine.

Goliath laughed when he saw the little guy the Israelites sent to fight against him. Goliath taunted him. "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" David, the youngest son of Jesse, didn't even have any armor on. Saul had put armor on David but it was so big and heavy that once David got it on he could not move. All David took with him was a staff, five stones and his sling. It was one of the biggest mismatches of all time, bigger than the pastor and his wife in golf. Yes, it was a mismatch from the beginning, but not in the way people think. Goliath never had a chance. David had God on his side.

The message is clear. No matter how strong the armor of people, it is no match for the armor of God. God can take the youngest person with the tiniest weapon and defeat the strongest power of the world. The epistle reading for today is II Corinthians 6 in which Paul lists the armor of God. "Purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God." In the end the weaponry of the world will be no match for the armor of God. God will take a man who has been beaten and hung on a cross and raise him to new life. The powers of the world are no match for the armor of God.

Where were the other Israelites when David fought Goliath. According to the text they were greatly afraid, shaking in their shoes. When Goliath appeared, they fled. They were not the only ones in the Bible who were afraid. Mark told a story about the disciples being in a boat with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee when a storm came up. Let's be honest, being on the water can be scary. Greg Vogel and I discovered that when we got flipped out of the raft on the New River in West Virginia last week. But it is difficult to imagine professional fishermen being that scared.

What is interesting is that they are traveling from one side of the Sea of Galilee to the other. They are leaving Jewish territory and are about to land in Gentile territory. It is possible that the disciples were afraid of heading into foreign territory. Every time we go on a Youth Works mission trip there is a certain amount of fear on the first day as we head to the rescue mission or the community center or the nursing home. It is unknown territory. While the disciples worried, Jesus was at peace, fast asleep. When he wakes up he asks them what all the fuss is about. "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"

When we were on the New River last week, there were no problems when we were in calm water. But when we approached the rapids you could sense some unease. And there were shouts of "Get us out of here" as we got into the rapids. The one thing that helped me was that I knew we had a professional guide and that he would see us through. As long as I remembered to trust him, I was okay. When I forgot it, I got nervous.

One of the things that we always have to remember not only in the periods of calm, but also in the stressful times, as individuals, in families, in churches and in denominations, we have a guide we can trust. In the greatest of storms, God will find a way to bring peace and calm into our lives, if we look to God to be our source of comfort and strength.

One of my favorite hymns growing up was "Who Is On the Lord's Side." "Who is on the Lord's side? Who will serve the King? Who will be his helpers, Other lives to bring? Who will leave the world's side? Who will face the foe? Who is on the Lord's side? Who for him will go? By Thy call of mercy, By Thy grace divine, We are on the Lord's side, Saviour, we are Thine.

When Goliath came calling there was only one who was on the Lord's side, little David. As the waves beat against the boat on the Sea of Galilee, there was not one on the Lord's side. The Lord was right there in the boat with them and they didn't recognize him. The Lord is in our midst right now, full of grace and mercy, if only we would let Him in.