We love the story of David and Goliath. It’s one of the few Bible stories that even people outside the church still recognize. It’s become our go-to image for the underdog. We like that story. But I wonder if we’ve forgotten what made it powerful in the first place.

Because this isn’t just a story about courage. It’s a story about faith.

When David stood before Goliath, he wasn’t just fighting a giant, he was confronting an entire culture of fear. Everyone else in Israel’s army had already accepted defeat before the battle even started. They saw Goliath’s size, his armor, his spear, and they froze. Fear had already won.

Sound familiar?

We live in a world where fear is the most powerful giant of all. It drives our politics, shapes our news, and determines how we treat each other. We’ve turned anxiety into a lifestyle. We fear losing what we have, fear being wrong, fear being left behind. We fear people who look or think differently than we do. And when fear runs the show, faith disappears.

That’s the real battle happening in America right now, not between left and right, but between fear and faith.

The Church in the Tents

In 1 Samuel 17, while Goliath shouted his daily challenge, the army of Israel stayed in their tents. They prayed for safety instead of courage. They talked about the problem instead of facing it. And I can’t help but think the church today has been doing the same thing.

We’ve been content to stay in our tents where it’s comfortable, quiet, and safe. We hold committee meetings about the giants but rarely step onto the field. We preach about hope but live like we’ve already lost. And all the while, fear taunts us: “You can’t fix this. You can’t change that. Don’t bother standing up.”

Meanwhile, the giants of our world keep shouting.

The giant of greed tells us our worth is in what we own.
The giant of division whispers that we’re too different to love each other.
The giant of apathy convinces us that our voice doesn’t matter.
The giant of despair tells us there’s no use even trying.

And yet, there stands David, a teenager with no armor, no army, and no credentials, saying, “You come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.”

He didn’t win because he was brave. He won because he believed.

Faith Over Fear

Faith isn’t ignoring fear, it’s trusting God in the middle of it. David didn’t act because he was fearless. He acted because his faith was bigger than his fear. That’s what courage really is.

We forget sometimes that David wasn’t a superhero. He was a kid with a slingshot and some rocks. But he remembered what God had done before, the lion, the bear, and the countless times God showed up when no one else did. He believed that if God was faithful then, God would be faithful now.

That’s what faith should look like in real life. It’s remembering the times God came through when you thought it was over. It’s believing that God hasn’t changed, even when everything else has.

So what does that look like for us today?

Maybe it’s finally having that hard conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Maybe it’s forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it.
Maybe it’s standing up for truth, for justice, for compassion, even when it may cost you something.

That’s what it means to face your giants.

The Giants Around Us

There are personal giants, fear, addiction, shame, loneliness. But there are also cultural ones, systems of greed, violence, and injustice that keep grinding people down while the powerful get richer.

And too often, the church has stayed silent.

We’ve let the Goliaths of our time define the battlefield. We’ve let political tribes shape our theology. We’ve confused patriotism with discipleship. We’ve been more worried about being liked than being faithful.

Meanwhile, people are crying out for hope. They’re drowning in anxiety, depression, and disillusionment. And the church, the people who claim to believe in resurrection, is hiding in the tents.

If David were alive today, he wouldn’t be impressed with our comfort. He’d walk out onto the field. He’d say, “This battle isn’t about strength or status, it’s about who you trust.”

The world doesn’t need louder Christians; it needs braver ones.

God Still Topples Giants

David didn’t kill Goliath with a sword. He did it with a stone and a belief that God was bigger than the problem. That’s the pattern of God’s kingdom. The weak confound the strong. The small defeat the mighty. Love outlasts hate.

That’s why Jesus came as a carpenter’s son instead of a conqueror. That’s why the cross, the ultimate symbol of defeat, became the greatest sign of victory.

The world keeps shouting, “Power wins out.” God keeps whispering, “No, faith does.”

We must remember, that the same God who stood with David stands with us. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. That means we are not powerless. That means we don’t have to live afraid.

The Church’s Sling

What if the church stopped running from giants and started standing up again?

Standing with truth, compassion, and courage.

What if we stopped hiding and started trusting that the same God who rescued David can still move mountains today? What if we believed that light still shines in the darkness, and that love really can change the world because it’s God’s way?

The giants are loud, but they’re not unstoppable. Fear has a voice, but it doesn’t have the final word.

A Call to Stand

You don’t have to be a giant-slayer to make a difference. You just have to step forward when everyone else is standing still. That’s what David did. That’s what the church is called to do.

So whatever your giant is, fear, despair, addiction, division, remember this: God is bigger. You may feel small, but God delights in using small things to do great things. That’s been the story all along.

The world doesn’t need a church full of perfect people. It needs a church full of faithful folks. People willing to step onto the battlefield, not to conquer, but to love, to heal, to speak, and to serve.

It’s time we stop hiding in the tents.

Because the giants are still shouting.
And God is calling for someone to step forward.

Closing Prayer

Lord, You know the giants we face, the ones that stand before us and the ones that whisper within us.
Give us the faith of David, not to be fearless, but to trust that You are bigger than whatever we’re up against.
When the world shouts fear, help us to listen for Your voice of courage.
When we’re tempted to hide in the tents, call us to step forward in love.
Use what little we have, our words, our actions, our hearts, to bring light into dark places.
And remind us that no battle is too big, and no person too small, when You are with us.

Amen.