Page 10 - THE MIGHTY - Three of the Greats

David 1 Samuel 17

EXPERIENCE BUILDING

Experience the Trait
STRENGTH - David got his strength from God (1 Samuel 16: 11-13). That’s important
for us to notice because God is where we need to draw our strength from as well. David
knew that there were some things he couldn’t do by himself, but he knew that together,
he and the God he served could do anything. David had a ‘God-fidence’ that set him
apart.

SKILLS – 1 Samuel 16: 14-23 tells us that David was an excellent musician. The skill of
playing the harp got him an appointment with the King. In 1 Samuel 17 we are remind-
ed of the skill David had with a sling-shot. These skills, David perfected while
protecting the sheep, got him an appointment with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

STRATEGY – Did you notice that while David’s brothers wanted a position to get
noticed, David positioned himself in the presence of God? There’s an old saying,
“When opportunity knocks, it’s too late to prepare.” David’s brothers would not know
what to do if opportunity introduced itself to them. David stayed prepared. When the
opportunity to fight Goliath came, he was ready. But, God didn’t give him the strategy
to defeat Goliath until after he descended into the valley. It says that he picked up 5
smooth stones from the brook. Brooks are in valleys, not up on the mountain peaks.

The During the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, the USA beat the heavily favored Soviets
in an event that became known as "The Miracle on Ice.” Composed of collegiate and
amateur athletes, the US team was up against the well-developed and legendary players
of the Soviets who had won the gold in the past four Olympics. On top of their Olympic
triumphs, the Soviets beat the USA team 10-3 in an exhibition match earlier that month.

With ten minutes left in the game, Mike Eruzione scored the winning goal as the US
team defeated the Soviets 4-3. That 1980 U.S. hockey team was probably the best-
conditioned American Olympic hockey team of all time. They spent countless hours run-
ning skating exercises in preparation for the Games. In their play, the U.S. players
adopted passing techniques developed by the Soviets for the larger international hockey
rinks, while preserving the rough checking style that was known to throw the Soviets off
-guard. Coach Herb Brooks believed that Strength + Skill + Strategy would bring
GOLD to the USA.