Last night in my quite time I was reading the story of David and Goliath. David was just a teenager. He was small compared to Goliath and had no official warrior training. But David didn't need warrior training, God had prepared David for the task of defeating Goliath for many years. David had fought against wild animals to keep his father's sheep safe. But more important than David's experience as a shepard, David trusted in God. David knew that his power didn't lie in himself, but in God. David knew that although he may not be big enough in his own strength to defeat the giant, he could defeat Goliath through the strength that the Lord gave him. On that day David wanted to show all of Israel and the Philistines that his God was the God that saved.
Many times in my life I struggle with being confident. You see I know that the Lord has called me to be a doctor, but at times I struggle with turning complete control of this over to the Lord. During undergrad there were times I stressed and worried about getting into med school. The Lord keep reminding me that He has called me to this, to do my part study hard, and that He was going to see that He accomplished this in me. The Lord continues to remind me of this everyday. This month I'm working in a clinic in Mannford. This is the first rotation that I've been making physical diagnoses and working with making a plan for my patients. Last week I was really nervous to say what I thought the patient might I have. I was really hard on myself. I know that this is suppose to be a learning experience and I don't have to have all the answers, but I also know that the Lord has blessed me with the knowledge to arrive at answers. I am reminded each day that the Lord will accomplish this task in me.
You see many times I feel like David facing Goliath, but I'm not as quick as David was to claim the power of God like David did. I'm sure many of you face your own giants each day. I think that many times as women we struggle with being confident in ourselves. I'm not talking about being prideful, but being confident with the gifts, talents, and passions the Lord has given you. God has blessed each and everyone of you with something special. As Christians the Lord has called us all to something, whether it be a homemaker, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer...I could go on but I think you get the idea. He desires for us to use the gifts, talents and passions He has given us. Part of being strong women, is being confident in ourselves. In Christ there is no underdog. Through Christ, we are able to be strong. The deceiver tries to limit us and tell us that we are not good enough so that we don't accomplish the will of God in our lives, but we have the power of Christ. In our battle against our giants of doubt, fear, and unworthiness, our weapon is the power of the Lord God Almighty.
"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'"
1 Samuel 17:45
So ladies in our struggle to have confidence in ourselves, we have the power of Christ, but we also have each other. Strong women have to stick together. It is vital that we encourage our sisters in Christ to be Stout Women. Today's devotional was about David and Jonathan. When you think about friendships in the bible I'm sure one story that comes to mind is that of David and Jonathan. David and Jonathan had a deep bond. Jonathan realized that the Lord had chosen David to have the throne and Jonathan accepted that. Jonathan saved David's life from Saul, when could have easily had David killed and taken the throne from himself. David returned the favor by brining Jonathan's son into his home after Jonathan was killed. This friendship flourished because both of these men had a relationship with the Lord. These are the types of relationships we need to build as women. A British publication had a contest to find who could come up with the best definition of a friend. Here are the top five responses:
• "one who multiplies joy, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable"
• "one who understands our silence"
• "A volume of sympathy bound in cloth"
• "A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down"
• And the winning definition: " a friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out"
Do you have someone who is there when no one else is? I'm sure some of you have spouses who are there like that, but do you also have another woman who is there for you when no one else is. I challenge you to have a friend who's stands by you through thick and thin. Do you have someone who will inspire you to once again have confidence in yourself when you don't? Do you have that friend who challenges you to be a Stout woman that is brave, bold, determined, obstinate, uncompromising, sturdy, vigorous, staunch, enduring?
" Being confident of this that He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"
Philippians 1:6
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