2 Samuel 5 ESV
22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” 25 And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
Early in 2 Samuel 5, David is crowned king and the Philistines immediately come looking for a fight, spreading out in the Valley of Rephaim. David does exactly what a faithful leader should do: he stops and prays. "Shall I go up against the Philistines?" he asks. God says go, David attacks head-on, and he wins a decisive victory.
But shortly after, the Philistines return to the exact same valley. It would have been incredibly easy for David to assume the strategy was the same. The enemy was the same, the battlefield was the same, and the goal was the same. But, as he's learned, David stops to pray again.
Ah, this time, God changes the plan entirely: "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you." (2 Samuel 5:23-24).
David didn’t rely on yesterday’s strategy for today’s battle. He listened for a new direction.
Right now, many of us involved in campus ministry are facing our own Valley of Rephaim. With the recent changes, some of the previous ways of reaching students on the downtown campus have run into some hiccups. It is no longer possible to just reserve a room, call out Christian students to gather, and then host a traditional Bible study.
Frustration has a way of infecting others within the same room. I've watched friends decide to simply give up, or try to shift their entire strategy off-campus, hoping to draw students out of their element and into local church buildings on Sunday mornings.
But what if these hurdles aren't a reason to retreat? What if, instead of giving up, we need to ask God if He is changing the strategy? What if He is telling us, "Do not go straight up, but circle around"?
I would suggest that when we look closely, the problem isn't actually that big of a hurdle… It's an invitation to shift our focus from merely talking about Christian values to actively demonstrating them.
Instead of organizing Christian students—sometimes even those studying in the same major, like Nursing—just to sit in a circle and talk, we need to pray and look for the gaps where God's presence can be seen. What are the deep, unmet needs in our community that align with the heart of God?
Consider the streets just outside the campus. Downtown Phoenix has a significant population of homeless men and women. Many walk around in grimy clothes, with knotted hair, grime-stained skin, and untreated physical ailments. The poor and marginalized are one of the four vulnerable groups that Scripture—throughout both the Old and New Testaments—relentlessly calls God's people to care for.
What if a group of Medical and Nursing students formed a club specifically to help properly wash and clean sores for these individuals? (Google “HopeFest Phoenix “ and their efforts from 2012 to 2016 and beyond. Vivienne Gellert starting BAKPAK & ELAINE. Or John Talley III in Surge Network’s Neighbor's Table). Sharing Christ verbally while sharing His Love physically.
This completely changes the paradigm. It shows the campus exactly how Christians shoulder together with others in the community, rather than just telling them what we believe. It meets people in their actual distress instead of waiting for them to walk through church doors on a Sunday morning.
The call to action for us today is simple, though it requires stepping out of our comfort zones:
- Pray. Ask God to show you a gap in the community.
- Organize. Gather a student group equipped to address that specific need.
- Act. Let your actions declare who your God is.
This ancient Chinese proverb rings true ...
"Tell me and I'll forget,
Show me and I may remember,
Involve me and I'll understand"
Don't be satisfied with competing with busy schedules to gather Christian students to meet, talk about faith, and go home.
" Listen for the sound of marching in the trees. God is already moving out in front of us—we just need to be willing to follow Him along new paths. "
A couple of "Sounds of Marching" examples developing on our downtown campus.
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| Grannies from Grace (Lutheran Church) sharing homemade cookies and hugs |
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| Dog Therapy from Harbor & DTPHX Church at ASU DP |
