Running Outside Yourself

This morning I read about David as he continues living in his father's house and going between serving Saul through music and serving his dad by checking on his brothers in battle. David's older brothers are on the front lines fighting in Saul's army against the Philistines. Well, not technically fighting...more like listening to a huge guy from the other side taunt them every day. The Philistine's have one big man, Goliath, that daily throws down the challenge to the Israelites - Saul's army - to send out a man to fight him. Whichever man wins that army will be declared winner of the war and they will be masters over the other side. David runs to the battle lines to take supplies to his brothers just as Goliath is making his daily threats. David takes it personally that Goliath is challenging HIS God and questionning whether HIS God is real. David decides he's the man to answer Goliath's challenge and is met with "resistance" by his brothers, the Israelite army and even Saul. Let's just say they have pretty low expectations of David and think he's nuts. The funny thing is, it's not that David has high expectations in himself but rather in God. He fully expects God to come through for him in this way. Call it faith or ludicracy but David banks his reputation and even his life that God will come through - that God is for him and with him. Of course, he's right and he knocks Goliath out and the Israelites take the battle. So many times I have really high expectations of myself and play them off as God's or other's expectaions of me - constantly trying to run fast enough to keep up. Instead, my expectations need to be based on what God does in me, which is completely out of my control. This morning I'll run thanking God that I can just be...and expecting HIM to do whatever He wills in me with His power, love, goodness and grace. All in His timing at His pace.