Three Steps to Preventing Heart Failure
by Elin Henderson
“Then David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine.’”
1 Samuel 17:32 (NKJV)
Does that sound like an excerpt from the latest Prevention magazine or Health Journal? We are all concerned about our heart health. We eat healthy, exercise, see the doctor, and do what we can to keep our ticker ticking healthily away! So, you can guess that I’m not talking about physical heart failure here, but spiritual heart failure. How can we avoid or prevent spiritual heart failure? Well, let’s take a look in the Spiritual Medical Book—the Bible—and see what David has to share with us.by Elin Henderson
“Then David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine.’”
1 Samuel 17:32 (NKJV)
In the Old Testament in I Samuel 17, we find the army of Israel facing their age-old enemies the Philistines, yet this time, instead of confidence and power we see dismay and fear. Let’s take a look at Israel’s heart failure and see how David doesn’t fall into the same trap.
The giant, Goliath comes forth, making a LOT of noise and scaring the people to death, literally! What does Israel do? Run and hide. Sometimes we do that with our problems. We think that if we play dead and lie still long enough, they will just go away. We hope and pray that maybe with time the enemy will forget we are there and just move on to someone else. Step one in preventing heart failure: face your fears; don’t run or hide from them. Fear leads to frustration, which leads to dismay. David didn’t delay or dismay, he turned and immediately faced the giant declaring, “Who is this Philistine that defies the armies of the living God?” No hiding there!
Next, young David is brought before King Saul who tries to humanly help him out. Step two in preventing heart failure: don’t trust in human resources. That doesn’t mean we don’t utilize the resources God provides for us. But sometimes, our well-meaning friends try to “help,” but instead encumber us with weighty and unnecessary armor and weapons. In the end, David’s greatest weapon was his faith. God can use weapons. There are multiple counts of battles won with weapons, but our greatest weapon is knowing in whose hands the battle really lies.
Finally, look at the confidence with which David attacks the giant Goliath (vs. 46-48). He verbally lets him have it and right away lets him know just whose battle this is, “For the battle is the LORD’s and He will give you into our hands.” Step three for preventing heart failure: hit the ground confident and running… not in your own strength but fully convinced that God is able to deliver!
Just like that, one whack in the head and the battle was over. David was the victor in human terms, but God was the victor in spiritual terms! Everyone else around him had given in to fear and dismay, but David’s heart stood firm. Granted, there are many other forms of heart failure prevention, but these are a few that we can learn from David and apply to our own giants today.
GOING DEEPER:
1. We all have our Philistines: those spiritual enemies that, no matter how many times we fight them, just keep popping up! And our Philistines can occasionally rally their forces and send out a giant. What or who are your Philistines? And what form does your giant take?
2. How can you apply these three steps and prevent heart failure as you face your giants?
FURTHER READING:
Take the time to read the whole story – 1 Samuel 17 – and get a full glimpse of the battle and the victory!
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to ten-year-old Callie and eight-year-old Elias.
