David was ready to run to the battle line when the time came to fight Goliath because he had been preparing in the solitude of his time tending his father’s sheep in the pastures behind his home. He didn’t waste the wait, but was building up his confidence in God for when a battle came. He was preparing by learning to trust in God by reading scripture and by seeing God’s favor upon him. He was honing his skills by learning to save sheep from the paw of the bear and the paw of the lion, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”- 1 Samuel 17:37
David was building his confidence when no one was watching. He got to a place where He saw God as bigger than any obstacle in front of Him. He learned to focus on the size of the God behind him rather than on the problem in front of him. He was also faithfully seeking God when no one was watching and there was no applause of affirmation. He grew in passion and strength during this time as a result of his obedience to God. That is a critical component of why David was so brave when everyone else was so scared. He had seen God work in his life and he had spent time in the scriptures and in his presence in prayer so that it literally engulfed him with rage and fury when he heard Goliath mocking and defiling the Lord God of Israel. “David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”- 1 Samuel 17:45
This is a lesson we can easily apply to our lives as well because we surely all face our own unique battles in this life. What we do when no one is watching or paying attention means so much in the success we may have in the future. In the quiet moments, when it's just us and God, are we seeking Him above all else? Are we praying and reading scripture to prepare us for the battles ahead? Because surely they will come, and when they do, we need to be confident that we can rely on strength of God and so are issues are no match for our great God. We are small and limited, be He is huge and infinite and we can rely on Him for victory, even when the odds appeared stacked against us. David slew Goliath, and every underdog in history since has hope they can also defeat the giants in their lives because of it.