A Full Dress Rehearsal

UV 1418/10,000 A FULL DRESS REHEARSAL
And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
I Samuel 17 v 31
Life here on earth is a full dress rehearsal for the life hereafter. We should not rehearse with our own words but the word of God. The words that the young David spoke as he came to the battlefield where the giant Goliath was mouthing threats, abuse and insults on Israel gave some hope to the failing courage of the Israelite people. His own brothers who were soldiers in Saul’s army did not take David seriously and rebuked him for coming there under the guise of bringing them some food but with a hidden intent to see the battle. The battle was being lost in the minds of the Israelite people and their king Saul due to their caving in to fear. But David came there with a fresh and new perspective. He spoke in the name of the Lord. David said that “the Lord who had delivered him out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear would deliver him from the hand of this Philistine.” The listeners carried this news of bleak hope on an unlikely hero to the worried king Saul.

David did not exult in his own heroism or in his own strength, bravery or skill but He exalted God Almighty- The El Shaddai of Israel who had delivered them so often in the past from mightier threats than even Goliath- the bondage of Egypt, the angel of death at Passover, the army and chariots of Pharaoh, the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan, the 31 kings of Canaan whom they defeated to carve out Israel. While he was out in the wilderness grazing his sheep, he rehearsed every battle in his mind and every victory the Lord gave Israel. He ran it through his mind and heart and offered thankful praise to the Lord in many Psalms that he composed and sang accompanied by music from his harp. To rehearse or repeat with affirmation of faith is the basis for victory in life’s great struggles against the Goliaths we face in the battlefields of our lives. When people who have lost hope and courage hear our words, they will send for us. We will be a messenger of hope for the lost, the hapless, the defeated, the worn out.

With Jesus we are heroes but without Him we are zeroes. The Word of God fills us with infinite and divine power. It will help us overcome the most overwhelming odds against us. We need to rehearse the lines the Lord has spoken into our lives. The battle is won not when we unsheathe a sword but when we read and heed the words that Jesus spoke. It is vital to keep reading the Word and repeating it in our minds, hearts and on our lips. When we repeat His words, His promises, our inner wounds would be healed, our spirit revived. We will soar on wings like eagles high above the circumstances of our earthly or ground level circumstances. The Word gave David not just the confidence and courage to take the risk but it gave him wisdom to choose his weapons of warfare wisely. It sharpened his skill, alacrity and accuracy. The five stones that were smoothened in the stream that David picked up are Holy Spirit- washed prayer, sanctified worship, deep meditation, diligence and constant application of the lessons the Lord teaches us.

Prateep V Philip