Shedding What is a Hindrance
July 5, 2023
Fr. John Riccardo
I was recently praying with the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel and was struck in a new way by something that I’ve read many times before. The story is familiar to most of us, I’m sure. The Israelites and Philistines are at war with each other. One day, as the two armies are camped nearby, Goliath steps out and dares the Israelites to pick one soldier and engage in a man to man combat, winner take all, rather than have the armies continue to war against each other. So seemingly unconquerable, no Israelite steps forward.
Until David shows up.
Aghast that Goliath and the Philistines are mocking not so much the Israelites but their God, David presents himself to King Saul and says he’ll take on the giant. Saul sizes up the youth and does what seems like the reasonable thing to do: he quickly has David covered in battle gear, including armor and a sword, for the youth had neither. But David quickly realizes that what everyone else seems to need are in fact hindrances for him. Just as soon as he puts on the gear, he takes it all off again, telling the King that he’s never needed these things before and he doesn’t need them now. The Lord, he continues, has delivered him in the past from the lion and the bear with just his trusty sling and a few stones, and will deliver him again.
As I prayed with this, I was immediately struck by how relevant that little detail is for so many of us. How tempted I am to think that many of the things that other people, or other ministries, need I must also need. In fact, however, things that are genuinely helpful for other people or organizations doing the Lord’s work might not “fit” us and those places where we’ve been called to serve. How tempting it can be to think that if we’re going to be successful we must have “X” – whatever “X” is. However, what is helpful for others can actually not only be a hindrance for us, but something that takes the initiative out of God’s hands and tempts us to rely on ourselves.
For us in ACTS XXIX, this episode between David and Goliath came at a great time. We’ve been wrestling for some months about how to best leverage media, which is one of the four core components of our work. We feel called by the Lord to use media to encourage, inspire and mobilize for mission. We’ve been publishing two blogs, two podcasts, various livestreams, and other content that gradually, I’m concerned, is simply cluttering up inboxes. There comes a time when less is more. That time has come for us now.
So, starting this month, we are simplifying and becoming more intentional about our media content. As one of our passions is to help others re-acquire a biblical worldview, both this blog and the You Were Born for This podcast are going to work in tandem, focusing on a prayerful reflection on Scripture, as well as an application of it to our daily lives. Mindful that the Sunday homily usually concentrates on the Gospel, our podcast is going to take a prayerful look at what the Lord has to say to us in the 1st Reading for the upcoming Sunday, and this blog will take a prayerful look at the 2nd Reading. In an attempt to de-clutter people’s inboxes, we will no longer release the bi-monthly Rescue Rundown, but instead have a quarterly newsletter that will share inspiring news of what we’re seeing the Lord do across the country, update people on things related to The Rescue Project, share prayer requests, and other important items.
As we go about our week, let’s pray that the Lord will show us those things that we are tempted to think we need but in fact are like Saul’s armor and sword slowing David down. And let us pray for the confidence and trust in the Lord God that David had.