When God Uses Giants to Draw Us Closer To Him

“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
—II Samuel 22:4

II Samuel 21:15–22 gives us a rapid but sobering account of four brutal battles between David and the Philistines. These were not routine skirmishes. They were desperate, exhausting wars—and each one marked by the presence of a giant. The enemy was relentless, and the cost was high.

In the first battle, David himself faced Ishbi-benob, a massive warrior armed with a heavy bronze spear and a new type of sword. This was not the young shepherd who once ran toward Goliath without fear. David was older now. The years of war had taken their toll, and in the heat of battle he grew weary. For the first time, David was vulnerable. Ishbi-benob pressed his advantage and nearly killed David. He was saved only because Abishai, his nephew, rushed in and struck the giant down. The moment shook David’s men so deeply that they forbade him from ever going into battle again. They could not bear the thought of losing “the lamp of Israel.”

But the Philistines were not finished. Three more times they came against Israel, and make no mistake—their aim was David’s destruction. And three more times, they brought a giant. Yet each time, God raised up one of David’s servants to meet the threat. One by one, the giants fell. Each victory declared the same truth: God was still with His king.

None of us is exempt from facing giants. Sometimes we confront them head-on and discover, painfully, that we are not strong enough. Other times we survive only because God sends someone to stand beside us, council us, assist us, or pray with us. Either way, the battles are real—and often relentless.

And we ask the same question David must have asked: Why? Life is already hard enough. Why do overwhelming giants have to rise against us—job loss, crushing debt, rejection, failure, accidents, family grief… cancer? God may not cause these trials, but He does allow them.

So, what is He doing?!

The answer comes in II Samuel 22. That entire chapter is a song—David’s song—written after the battles were over and the giants were behind him. Standing on the far side of suffering, David could finally see what God had been doing all along. The fury of the trials, the terror of the giants, and the exhaustion of the wars were all revealing something greater: the power, faithfulness, and saving might of his God.

God allowed those conflicts not to break David, but to deepen him. Through them, David’s faith was refined, his dependence was sharpened, and his heart was drawn closer to the Lord. The giants were not evidence of God’s absence; they were proof of His purpose. God loved David too much to leave him unchanged.

Scripture tells us that God is great, but that truth becomes personal only when His greatness is revealed in our own deliverance—when we watch Him bring us through our own giants.

So as we face our battles—and yes, sometimes giants will stand in our path—let us remember David’s testimony:
“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

God continually calls us to trust Him fully:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Our part is trust.
God does the hard part.