God Still Clothes the Lilies: 7 Lessons for Seasons of Uncertainty (Part 8)- Shades of Grace | Natalie Nichols
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May 6th 14 Posted by Natalie Nichols in Overcoming Adversity

God Still Clothes the Lilies, Lesson 10: Reflect on God’s Past Goodness

Reflect on God's Past Goodness

Are you facing an overwhelming problem? Have you given up hope that things will ever improve? This a perfect time to reflect on the ways God has been good to you in the past.

Lesson #10: Reflect on God’s Past Goodness and Expect a Repeat

Why is it so vital that we choose to recall instances of God’s faithfulness in our past?

Like David recalling the victories God had given him over the lion and the bear, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to remind us of what God has done for us in the past so that we can believe Him to come through in our present.

Are you overwhelmed by discouraging circumstances? Are you stressed over uncertain outcomes?

Cheer up! Jesus Christ has overcome this world of trouble—He has done it for you in the past, and He will do it for you again.

Example: David and Goliath

Before David went out to face Goliath, he told King Saul,

“Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” Then David said, “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” (1 Samuel 17:34-37, HCSB, emphasis added).

David declared that just as God had delivered him from the lion and the bear, He would deliver him from Goliath.

He said this not as he was sunbathing and eating bonbons. He made this declaration as he faced a challenge that gripped even the bravest, most experienced Israeli soldier with paralyzing fear.

Yet David was a mere shepherd boy. He was only on the scene because he’d been sent by his father to deliver food to his brothers. This shepherd boy was not only willing to face Goliath, he was eager to do so!

Saul counseled David to the contrary:

“You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You’re too young and inexperienced—and he’s been at this fighting business since before you were born.” (v. 33, MSG)

How did a mere boy untrained for war become this fearless? He remembered all the ways God had delivered him in his past—and he expected Him to do it again.

David was confident God would deliver him. What made him so sure?

David may not have been an experienced soldier, but he was an experienced worshipper. He had spent countless hours pursuing God, conversing with Him, and writing songs to Him.

David was a man after God’s heart, which meant he might not have known the art of war, but He knew his God! (1 Sam. 13:14)

How are you pursuing God’s heart? How are you worshipping him and getting to know Him more each day? What matters most is not your familiarity with your problem but your familiarity with your God.

Intense Intimidation

“I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!” Goliath shouted. (1 Sam. 17:10)

Goliath challenged Israel to pick one man to fight against him. If the Israelite killed Goliath, the Philistines would be the Israelites’ slaves. But if Goliath killed the Israelite, the Israelites would become the Philistines slaves. When Saul and his troops heard this, “they were terrified and lost all hope” (v. 11).

Each morning and evening for forty days, Goliath took his stand and made his speech. (1 Samuel 17:16, MSG)

The drumbeat of Goliath’s challenge continued unanswered for forty days. Goliath tasted fear in the Israelites’ silence … and it only seemed to feed the monster. With each bite his swagger soared and his taunts grew more terrorizing.

Imagine the worst bully you’ve ever seen—an intimidating, cocky loud-mouth whose extraordinary physical strength is rivaled only by that of his mouth. Multiply that a thousand fold and you’re in the realm of Goliath.

As the Israeli soldiers cowered in panic, Goliath’s strut and volume increased … by the day.

By the fortieth day, his taunts had become merciless. Not only that—the Israelites had come to believe them.

It must have seemed to the Israeli army that Goliath’s lies and threats weren’t the powerless words of a mere windbag—they were confirmations of reality! “We’re doomed,” they must have lamented. “Our destiny is inevitable—we will become slaves to the Philistines.”

From our vantage point today, this seems ridiculous. Of course God was greater! Of course Goliath’s might was nothing compared to the might of the Living God!

But you and I have our own Goliath standing on an opposing hill today. And he has us equally convinced of impending doom and utter defeat!

Your Own Goliath

Your Goliath shouts taunts like:

  • “You’re going to lose your job. And when you do, your family will be slaves to poverty.”
  • “Your illness is beyond hope. You’ll never get out of that bed! Throw in the towel now before you waste any more days expecting the impossible. You’ll only be disappointed …”
  • “The dream God placed in your heart is too lofty for you. You’re too unqualified. … You’re too old. … You’ll never have the funding or the time. … Face it—you’ll never see it come to fruition. Haven’t you vainly exercised false hope long enough?”
  • “Your children will never come back to the Lord. They’ll never get their lives straight. All the hours and tears you invested in prayer were merely hot air! They didn’t affect anything. Ha! All those desperate cries from your heart fell on deaf ears in heaven.  God didn’t hear you. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t see your tears. Stop expecting your daughter to be anything but an addict. That’s all she’ll ever be. … She’s mine now, and she’s always going to be mine. So let go of any crazy, senseless notions of a breakthrough from your God.”
  • “That miracle you need is never going to happen. Who are you to believe God would do something that supernatural for you?! Quit believing and get on with your life!”

Through what taunts has the enemy been terrorizing you?

Are you cowering in fear, convinced he’s right? Or are you revisiting in your mind the times God has intervened in your life in the past? Are you recounting the ways He’s demonstrated His power, His compassion, and His involvement in your life?

Satan’s lies are not predictors of your future! They’re not indicators of what God is going to do on your behalf! 

The Israeli army defeated the Philistines that day because of David’s victory over Goliath. Compared to David’s success against lions and bears, this victory brought God even greater glory and directly impacted the lives of others. It was such an astounding triumph that women wrote songs about it: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7).

The seemingly insurmountable obstacle you’re facing is not unlike that which David faced in Goliath. As it did for him, it will result in an unprecedented triumph—an even greater victory than those God has given you in your past. And it will positively affect the lives of others around you.

Be at Rest: God Has Been Good to You

May the Holy Spirit put to rest your anxieties and banish your fears. God has been good to you in the past, and the future will be no exception—no matter what threats have emerged on the horizon.

Reflect on God’s past acts of faithfulness to you, and speak to your soul. God has been good to you! He has delivered you before—and He will deliver you again!!

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may
walk before the LORD in the land of the living.”
— Psalm 116:7-9
(NIV 1984 version)

God has delivered your soul from death, your eyes from tears, and your feet from stumbling. And He will do no less now! He will deliver you again!
 

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TweetablesMore Tweetables

  • Are you facing an overwhelming problem? Reflecting on God’s past goodness will make a difference! Click to tweet Tweet
  • David was a man after God’s heart. When facing Goliath, he might not have known the art of war, but He knew his God! Click to tweet Tweet
  • What matters most is not your familiarity with your problem but your familiarity with God. Click to tweet Tweet
  • Satan’s lies are not predictors of your future! They’re not indicators of what God is going to do on your behalf! Click to tweet Tweet
  • God has been good to you in the past, and the future will be no exception—no matter what threats have emerged on the horizon. Click to tweet Tweet
  • God has been good to you! He has delivered you before—and He will deliver you again! Click to tweet Tweet
  • “Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.” — Psalm 116:7 Click to tweet Tweet
  • “I said to myself, ‘Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings.'” — Psalm 116:7, MSG Click to tweet Tweet
  • “You, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.” — Psalm 116:8 Click to tweet Tweet
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Questions:

  • What overwhelming problem is causing you to feel doomed and hopeless?
  • What is Satan telling you to convince you that defeat is the certain outcome? 
  • Are you cowering in fear, convinced he’s right? Or are you recalling the victories God has given you in the past?
  • In what two situations in your life has God demonstrated His goodness?
  • God hasn’t changed. Just as He delivered you from those threats, He will deliver you from this one! It doesn’t matter how inevitable defeat may seem—or how hopeless your ‘Goliath’ has convinced you the battle is. God has rescued you in the past and He will rescue you again! Expect a demonstration of His faithfulness!

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